LONDON — In a groundbreaking decision on Wednesday, Prince Harry celebrated a significant win as Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids extended an extraordinary apology for their longstanding invasion of his privacy and consented to pay substantial damages to settle a lawsuit he filed regarding these breaches.
News Group Newspapers expressed a “full and unequivocal apology” to the Duke of Sussex, acknowledging the serious intrusions by The Sun from 1996 to 2011 into his private life, alongside illegal activities conducted by private investigators. This heartfelt apology, presented in court via Harry’s attorney, David Sherborne, even included recognition of the privacy violations experienced by his late mother, Princess Diana.
According to the settlement statement, “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.” This gesture marked a first for News Group, which previously refrained from admitting any wrongdoing at The Sun, a publication that thrived on sensational stories involving sports, celebrities, and intimate details, often featuring topless women on its infamous Page 3.
Harry had previously committed to taking his claims to trial, aiming to expose the misconduct of the newspaper and secure a court ruling that would validate his allegations. Through his lawyer, he stated that he successfully achieved the accountability he sought not just for himself, but for numerous others who had also encountered intrusions into their personal lives.
News Group conceded to “phone hacking, surveillance, and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” against Harry, an admission they had denied vigorously prior to the onset of the trial. In a statement delivered by his attorney outside London’s High Court, Harry declared that this acknowledgment serves as validation for the other victims who were coerced into settling without being able to uncover the truth behind their situations.
The announcement took place just as the trial was on the verge of commencing. Among the claimants, Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, and only one other individual remained from a group of more than 1,300 who had opted to settle their lawsuits against News Group Newspapers, citing unlawful phone hacks and privacy invasions.
Sherborne accused the company of “perjury and cover-ups” to obscure the truth over the years, revealing that they had deleted 30 million emails and other critical records. He described the situation as involving “an extensive conspiracy,” in which senior executives acted to deliberately obstruct justice.
While News Group had previously apologized for its actions at the defunct News of the World, a critical moment in the phone hacking scandal, it had never extended such an acknowledgment for The Sun, until now.
Harry’s statement was particularly pointed toward Rebekah Brooks, the current CEO of News Group, who previously served as editor at The Sun. During her trial in 2014, Brooks claimed that “we ran a clean ship,” yet now, a decade later, their admission of running a “criminal enterprise” under her editorship contradicts those assertions.
This case against News Group has progressed further than any allegations brought against the publisher since the phone hacking scandal prompted Murdoch to shut down the News of the World in 2011. The scandal sparked widespread outrage when it was revealed that reporters had intercepted the voicemail of Milly Dowler, a murdered schoolgirl, while police were actively searching for her back in 2002.
Harry’s lawsuit against NGN is one of three he initiated, alleging British tabloids had violated his privacy through eavesdropping and illegal methods involving private investigators. His separate case against the Daily Mirror concluded with a ruling that confirmed phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” within the company’s publications.
In 2023, Harry made history by becoming the first senior royal to testify in court since the late 1800s, directly opposing the royal family’s wish for privacy. His long-standing feud with the tabloids dates back to his childhood, characterized by relentless media coverage of his personal challenges.
Beyond the momentary frustrations with the press, Harry holds a deeper grievance; he attributes the media’s actions as contributing factors to his mother’s death, following a car accident in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris. Furthermore, he has expressed concerns regarding the media’s persistent negative scrutiny of his wife, Meghan Markle, which influenced their decision to step back from royal duties and relocate to the U.S. in 2020.
This ongoing legal battle has revealed tensions within his family, as Harry shared in the documentary “Tabloids On Trial.” Court documents indicated his father’s lack of support for his lawsuit. Additionally, he noted that his elder brother, Prince William, had previously settled a private dispute with News Group, which his legal counsel claimed was worth over 1 million pounds ($1.23 million).
Harry began as one of a large number of claimants, including notable figures like actor Hugh Grant, who contended that News Group journalists engaged in unlawful practices including voicemail interception from 1994 to 2016. Ultimately, Harry and Tom Watson, a former Labour Party MP, emerged as the only two claimants moving toward trial against NGN.
While NGN previously expressed deep regret to other victims stemming from the voicemail interception scandal connected to the News of the World and settled over 1,300 claims, The Sun had maintained its innocence until this recent admission.
The outcome of the case against News Group raises anticipations for Harry’s forthcoming legal endeavor against the publisher of the Daily Mail, with that trial set to occur in the next year.
