Following a dramatic last-minute settlement in court, Prince Harry has again been victorious in his mission to take on the UK’s tabloid press. Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publishers of the Sun as well as the now defunct News of the World – offered the Duke of Sussex a “full and unequivocal apology … for the serious intrusion by the Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities”.
They have also agreed to pay him “substantial damages” as well as legal costs. The total is likely to amount to at least £10 million.
This was a humiliating climbdown for the Murdoch press, which has denied for years that the Sun was ever involved in unlawful activity. Over the last 15 years News Group has settled over 1,300 claims, costing the company around £1.2 billion.
It also raises a number of important questions about the future of any further litigation about coverup allegations that remain unresolved and about the prospect for further police and government action to protect the public interest.
For Prince Harry, it was further vindication of his longstanding campaign to hold the British press accountable for years of intrusion – not just into his own, but also his mother’s private life.
In 2023, a court judgment found that Mirror Group newspapers had committed “widespread and habitual” phone hacking from 1998 (which had also been strenuously denied, and for which Harry received over £400,000 in damages). For Harry, the apology from News Group is a welcome admission from another major tabloid publisher.
Questions remain about serious allegations of a cover-up at the highest levels of NGN that were due to be tested in court. Reading a statement on behalf of Prince Harry and his fellow claimant, former Labour Party deputy leader Lord Watson, their lawyer David Sherborne alleged that “senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails, destroying backup tapes, and making false denials [and] repeatedly lied under oath to cover their tracks”.
These allegations have been strenuously denied by News Group, but it is now very unlikely that we will ever hear the evidence.
The bigger story
This settlement raises questions both about accountability for malpractice and about access to justice for those who don’t have the deep pockets of a celebrity or a royal.
When ordinary people suffer from corruption or incompetence, there are strident calls for those responsible to be held to account – think of the Post Office and infected blood scandals. Public inquiries are invariably followed by some kind of government action.
The second half of the Leveson inquiry – set up by the Cameron government in 2011 in the wake of the phone-hacking scandal – was designed precisely to investigate the nature and extent of corporate wrongdoing. But it was cancelled by the Conservative government in 2018 after intense lobbying by the press.
With the settlement of the Prince Harry/Lord Watson cases, it is very unlikely that there will be further opportunities for scrutiny of the Murdoch papers. Any further phone hacking claimants will almost certainly be deemed out of time. And anyway, the UK’s litigation system is not designed for those with limited resources trying to take on wealthy and powerful corporations.
A potential threat might be further investigations by the Metropolitan Police. Sherborne finished his statement by calling on the police to investigate “not only the unlawful activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and coverups throughout this painful process”.
The police would have to satisfy themselves that any evidence they receive reaches the threshold for a criminal inquiry, and may themselves be fearful of a press backlash should they launch one.
What happens next?
The broader question is what repercussions these admissions may have for the future of press regulation in Britain. While the press maintains that any bad behaviour is now confined to history, there is little public confidence in its own complaints handler, the Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso).
Ipso was established in defiance of the independent system recommended by the Leveson report. But that framework, first agreed with cross-party support in 2013, has never been properly implemented. And a crucial component, which would have provided an incentive for publishers to join a regulator that was part of the Leveson system, was repealed as one of the last acts of the previous Conservative administration.
The question for Keir Starmer and culture secretary Lisa Nandy is whether this court settlement will prompt meaningful political action to shore up public protection from press misconduct.
Interviewed on BBC radio following the court settlement, Nandy spoke encouragingly about the need to ensure that there were “robust processes” in place. She made it clear that the government would be looking at options but did not clarify what they might be.
Any government action will be bitterly resisted by the press but may be given a further boost by the final act of Prince Harry’s campaign for accountability. He is one of seven claimants – including Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, and actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley – making serious allegations against the publishers of the Daily Mail.
They have accused Associated Newspapers of illegal activities, including the recording of private phone conversations, placing listening devices in cars and obtaining private records by deceit. All those allegations are vehemently denied, and their case is much more likely to result in extended court proceedings around 12 months from now.
While the phone-hacking saga may be all but over, the legacy of Britain’s tabloid culture and its unlawful information gathering practices – whether actual or alleged – will rumble on for some time. And Prince Harry should take a great deal of credit for pursuing the truth, even in the face of ferocious press attacks.
Prince Harry Receives 8-Figure Sum in Damages After Settling Legal Battle Against Rupert Murdoch-Owned The Sun
PEOPLE understands that News Group Newspapers (NGN) has agreed to pay the Duke of Sussex an eight-figure sum in his case against the publisher
Prince Harry has received an eight-figure sum in damages after reaching a surprise settlement in his legal battle against the publisher of U.K. newspaper The Sun.
PEOPLE understands that the settlement involved an eight-figure sum, likely exceeding $12 million, covering damages in his case against the publisher over accusations of illegal information gathering by journalists and private investigators.
In a statement obtained by PEOPLE following the Jan. 22 settlement, which came after both sides reached an agreement before the trial in London officially began, NGN said they offer “a full and unequivocal apology” to Harry and confirmed they had agreed to pay him “substantial damages.” The settlement fell short of Harry winning an apology from named senior executives at the company and newspaper at the time of the allegations.
Speaking outside the High Court in London on behalf of Harry and his co-claimant, former Labour Member of Parliament Tom Watson, Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne called for a police investigation into the newspaper and spoke of how Harry bringing a case against the publisher has impacted him and his family’s life.
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“In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted that The Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices. This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling, without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them,” Sherborne began.
“After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs (as well as paying off those in the know) to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law,” Sherborne continued. “It has also specifically admitted wrongdoing against Tom Watson, and admitted unlawful acts by The Sun, as well as by the News of the World, against Prince Harry.”
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“The truth that has now been exposed is that NGN unlawfully engaged more than 100 private investigators over at least 16 years on more than 35,000 occasions. This happened as much at The Sun as it did at the News of the World, with the knowledge of all the editors and executives, going to the very top of the company,” Sherborne added.
Sherborne went on to share that “today’s result has been achieved only through the sheer resilience of Prince Harry and Lord Watson, whose willingness to take NGN to trial has led directly to this historic admission of unlawfulness at The Sun.”
“As a direct result of him taking a stand, Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago. This has created serious concerns for the security of him and his family,” he continued.
“The rule of law must now run its full course. Prince Harry and Tom Watson join others in calling for the police and Parliament to investigate not only the unlawful activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and cover-ups along the way,” Sherborne added. “It’s clear now this has occurred throughout this process, including through sworn evidence in inquiries and court hearings, and in testimony to Parliament, until today’s final collapse of NGN’s defense. Today the lies are laid bare. Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one stands above the law. The time for accountability has arrived.”
Also speaking outside court, Lord Watson praised Harry, who was present for proceedings on Tuesday, for his leadership in the case.
“His bravery and astonishing courage has brought accountability to a part of the media world that thought it was untouchable,” he said. “I am sure I speak on behalf of the thousands of victims when I say we are grateful to him for his unwavering support and his determination under extraordinary pressure.”
Watson then called on Rupert Murdoch to “follow this corporate admission of guilt with a personal apology to Prince Harry, to his father our King and to the countless others who’ve suffered the same unlawful behavior at the hands of his media empire.”
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The settlement on Jan. 22 followed a frenzied day of negotiations the previous day that delayed the start of the hearing.
Harry and Lord Watson had refused to join the hundreds of others, including Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller, who previously settled lawsuits with NGN over allegations of phone hacking and other unlawful surveillance before going to trial.
The prince had accused the publisher of illegal information gathering between 1996 and 2011, a period during which The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World allegedly targeted him. NGN had previously denied any wrongdoing.
In their statement on Tuesday, NGN said, “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, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.”
The statement continued, “NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.”
“NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years,” the statement added. “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.”
NGN later responded to Sherborne’s comments, clarifying, “Today, our apology to the Duke of Sussex includes an apology for incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the ruling.
Sun owner to pay Prince Harry ‘substantial’ damages
The publisher of the Sun newspaper has agreed to pay “substantial damages” and apologised to the Duke of Sussex to settle a long-running legal battle over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life.
Prince Harry alleged journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) used unlawful techniques to pry on his private life – and executives then allegedly covered it up.
NGN apologised for “serious intrusion” by the Sun between 1996 and 2011, and admitted “incidents of unlawful activity” were carried out by private investigators working for the newspaper, in a statement read out in court.
It also apologised for distress it caused Harry through the “extensive coverage” and “serious intrusion” into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana.
The BBC understands the settlements to both Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson have cost NGN more than £10m in pay outs and legal fees.
In total NGN has spent upwards of £1bn in damages and costs to those who claim their phones were hacked and their privacy invaded by the News of the World and the Sun.
When he launched his claim, the prince alleged that more than 200 articles published by NGN between 1996 and 2011 contained information gathered by illegal means.
He repeatedly said he wanted the case to go to trial so that he could get “accountability” for other alleged victims of unlawful newsgathering.
NGN was “surprised by the serious approach by Prince Harry for settlement in recent days”, a source told the BBC.
A source close to the Duke of Sussex responded that the apology “provides all the insight you need”.
Speaking outside court on behalf of Prince Harry, his barrister David Sherborne described the settlement as a “monumental victory”, and said NGN had been “finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law”.
Lord Watson, meanwhile, had alleged his phone was targeted around the time he was investigating newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch while an MP, at the height of the phone-hacking scandal almost 15 years ago.
NGN also issued an apology to Lord Watson for intrusion into his private life by those working for the News of the World, including “being placed under surveillance” by journalists and people instructed by them.
NGN said in a statement its settlement “draws a line under the past” and “brings an end to this litigation”.
It added: “Lord Watson’s phone was not hacked in 2009-11 and had this gone to trial, NGN would have called evidence from telecoms experts to demonstrate that hacking after 2007 was nigh on impossible due to security upgrades undertaken by telecoms companies.”
The apology also covers incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the Sun newspaper from 1996-2011, the statement said – but “not by journalists”.
The references to the Sun in the apology were key, as without it the prince would not have settled.
NGN has already apologised for unlawful practices at the now-defunct News of the World, but previously denied similar claims against the Sun – as well as Prince Harry’s wider allegation of a corporate-wide cover-up.
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While it admitted no illegality, NGN acknowledged in its apology that its response to the arrests in 2006 of News of the World staff who hacked royal phones and those of celebrities – and its subsequent actions – were “regrettable”.
Journalist Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, were later jailed for intercepting voicemails on phones belonging to the princes’ aides.
After the settlement was announced, Lord Watson told reporters: “I wish they had left my family alone. Today, I’m glad they have finally accepted responsibility.”
Describing the snooping by NGN staff as “industrial in scale”, he said its owner Rupert Murdoch should offer “a personal apology” to Prince Harry, as well as any others affected.
Lord Watson added that the legal team behind the case would pass a dossier to the Metropolitan Police.
A Met spokesperson said it noted the outcome of the case, adding that there were “no active police investigations into allegations of phone hacking or related matters”.
By agreeing to a settlement, NGN has avoided eight weeks of slowly revealed allegations.
Now the court will not test the claims that senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting emails and taking part in a cover up of evidence. This is “strongly denied” by NGN.
And there will not be damaging headlines about press intrusion into the royal family and the heart of government.
Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, said “it’s just wonderful that Harry fought for, and gained, an apology to his mother”.
“She would be incredibly touched at that and rightly proud,” he said in a post on X.
Former editor of the Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, said it would have been “massively damaging” had the company’s chief executive Rebekah Brooks been forced to give evidence at a trial.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The World at One programme, he said he was “astonished” by NGN’s admissions in its statement.
“There was always going to come a day like this, and [Prince] Harry’s pursued it. [NGN] are on the back foot and there is probably nothing else they could do.”
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it was “a significant day and a big relief” for the two claimants.
She told The World At One she did not believe a second-stage Leveson inquiry into press practices was “fit for purpose”, but said families from the Hacked Off campaign group were preparing a “thorough briefing” about the changes they believe are required.
She said the government had to work with the families and the media to make sure “we strike that right balance and we protect a free and fair press”.
ReutersHarry was 12 when his mother, the Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being followed by paparazzi. He has suggested tabloid newspapers played a role in her death.
Last year he said the tabloid press had been “central” to the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of the Royal Family.
He has also settled a case against Mirror Group Newspapers alleging the publishers had gathered information on him in unlawful ways from 1996 to 2010.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(739x317:741x319)/olivia-munn-mei-instagram2-100124-7e4428121c74464193b57e64f71e8698.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "Olivia Munn Shares Adorable Video of Her Fast-Growing 4-Month-Old Daughter Méi: ‘She’s So Strong and Happy’")
