Prince Harry wins first phone hacking case against British tabloids

Prince Harry scored his first legal victory Friday in his lawsuits accusing British tabloid newspapers of phone hacking when a court awarded him $180,000 in his case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror.

Justice Timothy Fancourt in the High Court found the hacking was “widespread and habitual” at Mirror Group Newspapers, according to the Associated Press.

The judge also reportedly said in his ruling the hacking took place over many years and that private investigators were "an integral part of the system” to gather information unlawfully on the Duke of Sussex and those close to him.

Executives at the papers were reportedly aware of the practice and tried to conceal it.

Fancourt in the trial found roughly 15 to 30 newspaper stories were generated through unlawful information gathering, the wire service also reports.