Prince Harry Settles Case Against Murdoch’s Papers After Apology

Murdoch's News Group Newspapers also apologises for the impact on him of the serious intrusion into the private life of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.

Wed Jan 22 2025
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LONDON: Prince Harry settled on Wednesday a privacy invasion lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid publisher, which apologised for hacking the British royal’s phone and agreed to pay him “substantial damages”, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) also apologised for the impact on him of the “serious intrusion” into the private life of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, “in particular during his younger years”.

The settlement concludes a years-long legal battle over unlawful practices by two of the media mogul’s newspapers — The Sun and now-shuttered News of the World — and avoids the case going to a full trial.

“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life,” Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne told the High Court, as he read an apology statement by NGN.

He noted the apology included “incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators” working for Murdoch’s The Sun tabloid.

It was the first time News Group Newspapers has acknowledged wrongdoing at The Sun, a paper once known for featuring topless women on Page 3.

The statement itself was remarkable in breadth, acknowledging “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” aimed at Harry, allegations NGN had strongly denied before trial.

The statement even went beyond the scope of the lawsuit to acknowledge intruding on the life of his mother, the late Princess Diana.

“We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the settlement statement said.

The bombshell announcement in London’s High Court came as the Duke of Sussex’s trial was about to start against the publishers of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World for unlawfully snooping on him over decades.

Murdoch shut down the News of the World after the Guardian reported that the tabloid’s reporters had hacked the phone of Milly Dowler, a murdered 13-year-old schoolgirl, while police were searching for her in 2002.

Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, and one other man were the only two remaining claimants out of more than 1,300 others who had settled lawsuits against News Group Newspapers over allegations their phones were hacked and investigators unlawfully intruded in their lives.

In all the cases that have been brought against the publisher since a widespread phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to close News of the World in 2011, Harry’s case got the closest to trial.

Six years of court battles

The conclusion to six years of court battles between King Charles III’s youngest son and Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) followed days of intense negotiations over a settlement.

Harry and Labour lawmaker Tom Watson had claimed private investigators working for the two NGN-owned tabloids repeatedly targeted them unlawfully more than a decade ago.

The pair were the last remaining claimants after dozens of others settled earlier in the process.

NGN also apologised to Watson “for the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life”, between 2009 and 2011 while he was a government minister by the News of the World.

“This includes him being placed under surveillance in 2009 by journalists at the News of the World and those instructed by them,” its statement said.

“NGN also acknowledges and apologises for the adverse impact this had on Lord Watson’s family and has agreed to pay him substantial damages.”

Harry, whose NGN claim covered a 15-year period from 1996, had shown no sign of wanting to settle before this week.

The British royal told a New York Times event last month that his goal was “accountability”.

His case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror ended in victory when the judge ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at the newspaper and its sister publications.

During that trial in 2023, Harry became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court since the late 19th century, putting him at odds with the monarchy’s desire to keep its problems out of view.

His feud with the press dates back to his youth, when the tabloids took glee in reporting on everything from his injuries to his girlfriends to dabbling with drugs.

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But his fury with the tabloids goes much deeper.

He blames the media for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi in Paris. He also blames them for the persistent attacks on his wife, actor Meghan Markle, that led them to leave royal life and flee to the US in 2020.

The litigation has been a source of friction in his family, Harry said in the documentary “Tabloids On Trial.”

He revealed in court papers that his father opposed his lawsuit. He also said his older brother William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, had settled a private complaint against News Group that his lawyer has said was worth over 1 million pounds ($1.23 million).

“I’m doing this for my reasons,” Harry told the documentary makers, though he said he wished his family had joined him. – Agencies

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