Daniel Portley-Hanks, private investigator, has revealed that a UK tabloid hired him to collect personal information about Meghan Markle and her family when she first began dating Prince Harry in 2016.
Daniel “Danno”, according to reports, gave the tabloid comprehensive information about the former ‘Suits’ star, which contained her Social Security number, phone numbers — including her cell phone number — and addresses.
The investigator – who was paid $2,055 for his services – provided the details regarding Meghan’s family members, her ex-husband, and an ex-boyfriend to the outlet.
The tabloid used the information for a series of stories published in 2016 about intimate details of the couple’s relationship, including the couple’s text messages.
Prince Harry and Meghan first met on a blind date arranged by a mutual friend in 2016, and tied the knot in 2018.
Portley-Hanks’ investigation led The Sun to track Markle’s father, who later leaked private letters from his daughter to UK tabloids, according to The Times.
There were also reports that Portley-Hanks used the service TLOxp to find the information he needed, which is legal to use. However, he later broke US privacy statutes by sharing the information he found with publications.
Te Duke of Sussex filed a separate lawsuit against the tabloid over phone-hacking claims in 2019. He and his sweetheart also spoke about the harassment and racism which Archie’s mom experienced at the hands of the British media.
The shocking news comes amid growing tension between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family following their earthshaking interview with Oprah Winfrey.