Prince William, Prince Harry and Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe Allegedly Targets of the Hack-Happy Tabloid
The defunct British tabloid News of the World targeted the members of the royal family, Prince Harry and William. Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe was also an alleged target.
The News of the World was better known for being News of the Screws and Screws of the World for having always focused on celebrity sex scandals. It was a national newspaper that began in the UK in 1843 and was closed down by News Corp. this summer as the phone-hacking scandal mushroomed.
News of the World had a knack at exposing news about celebrities who were drug users, criminals or sex freaks. They hired and set up insiders and photographers to do the dirty work. Hacking of personal and private accounts of celebrities and well-known people were also one of their fortes.
The tabloid had even sought out and hired former police officers one being Derek Webb who in an interview revealed that he was asked to spy on more than 90 prominent individuals.
"I would write down what they were wearing that time, what car they were in, who they met, the location and the times," says Webb when asked what he was doing when trailing his targets.
Webb defended his work as legal and simply pointing out he had done it for the newspaper as part of his employment. The newspaper victimized a lot of celebrities, and it did not even spare the members of the royal family and the new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.
Among the list of celebrities who were scandalized by this newspaper were Jude Law, Sienna Miller, Chelsy Davy (former girlfriend of Prince Harry), Gary Lineker (soccer player), Daniel Radcliffe, Peter Goldsmith (former Attorney General Lord Goldsmith), Tony Blair, and the list goes on and on. The grandchildren of the queen, Prince William and Prince Harry, were also alleged targets of the hack-happy tabloid.
News of the World allegedly targeted approximately 5,800 people. Bribes were said to be given to officials of Scotland Yard while an in depth investigation still continues.
Thankfully the World's Greatest Newspaper has finally ended. As for its suspected ''legal stalking" of celebrities this may also mean fans of the tabloid have lost their only source of celebrity updates.