LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – MARCH 30: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex arrives at the Royal Courts of Justice on March 30, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has won a “monumental” victory over Rupert Murdoch’s UK newspaper group, News Group Newspapers (NGN), after the publisher settled his lawsuit, admitting to unlawful actions at its Sun tabloid and paying substantial damages. The settlement, which involves an eight-figure sum, comes after Harry had accused the papers of illegally obtaining private information about him from 1996 to 2011.
NGN also admitted to intruding into the private life of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, a development that has been met with a statement from Harry and his co-claimant, former British lawmaker Tom Watson. The two parties said that the settlement is a “monumental victory” and that the time for accountability has arrived.
The publisher, NGN, has issued an apology to Harry for the serious intrusion into his private life, as well as the private life of his late mother. The apology also extends to Watson, including when he was a junior minister under then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The publisher has paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of phone-hacking and other unlawful information gathering by the News of the World, and has settled more than 1,300 lawsuits involving celebrities, politicians, and other individuals.
Harry had been seeking accountability from NGN, and his mission was not about the payment of damages, but about getting the truth and holding the publisher’s executives and editors to account. The prince had rejected NGN’s offer to settle the case, as he wanted the publisher to admit to its wrongdoing and face consequences.
The victory is seen as a major milestone, with Harry and Watson calling for the police and parliament to investigate “the perjury and cover-ups” related to the case. The settlement marks a significant turning point in the long-running saga, which has seen many others settle their claims against NGN to avoid the risk of a multi-million pound legal bill.