Prince Harry, on the Verge of Tears, Says U.K. Tabloids Are Making Meghan Markle’s Life ‘an Absolute Misery’

Prince Harry ended his nearly two-hour testimony in London’s High Court on an emotional note, his voice breaking as he accused the U.K. tabloids he is suing of continuing to target him — and, he said, making his wife Meghan Markle‘s life “an absolute misery.”

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Duke of Sussex, 41, finished giving evidence in his lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. Turning toward the judge, Harry’s voice broke as he spoke about the toll the case — and the coverage surrounding it — has taken on his family.

“By standing up here and taking a stand against them, this has continued to come after me,” Harry said, his voice cracking with emotion. “And they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery, my Lord.”

Asked earlier about the impact of the press coverage during the years-long legal fight, Harry said the situation had only intensified. “Through the course of this litigation, it’s only got worse, not better,” he told the court. “It’s fundamentally wrong to put all of us through all of this again. What’s required is an apology and some accountability. It’s a horrible experience.”

PEOPLE was inside the courtroom as Harry appeared on the verge of tears while concluding his evidence, pausing as he addressed the judge and spoke about the personal cost of pursuing the case.

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Following the day’s proceedings, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex said the cross-examination quickly unraveled.

“Today’s cross-examination was revealing in its weakness: assertive in tone, but collapsing immediately under scrutiny from Prince Harry,” the spokesperson said. “Associated couldn’t wait to get him off the stand, questioning him for just 2 hours and avoiding 10 of his 14 articles entirely.”

Prince Harry also weighed in after the session, underscoring what he said was the central focus of the trial: “Today we reminded the Mail Group who is on trial and why.”

Harry is one of seven high-profile claimants — including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley — suing Associated Newspapers over allegations of unlawful information gathering, claims the publisher has strongly denied. The case marks Harry’s final active lawsuit against the British press, capping years of litigation over tabloid practices.

In his witness statement, seen by PEOPLE, Harry said he felt compelled to take legal action after what he described as “vicious” and “sometimes racist” coverage of Meghan following the start of their relationship in 2016.

“However, in late 2016, when my relationship with Meghan, my now wife, became public, I started to become increasingly troubled by the approach of not taking action against the press in the wake of vicious persistent attacks on, harassment of and intrusive, sometimes racist articles concerning Meghan. The situation got worse when she became pregnant and after our son, Archie, was born,” he said, referring to their son Prince Archie, now 6.

The emotional testimony comes a year after Harry reached a surprise settlement with the publisher of The Sun, which paid an eight-figure sum in damages and issued an unprecedented apology acknowledging unlawful actions.

Harry traveled from his California home earlier this week for the start of what is expected to be a nine-week trial in London — a case he has described as part of a long-running effort to seek accountability from the British press.