Prince Harry has asked police to launch a new investigation into businessman Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper group after winning a “monumental victory” in resolving his case over allegations of illegal intelligence gathering.
The Duke of Sussex’s years-long legal battle took an unexpected turn this Wednesday (22) when, shortly before the trial began, the royal received an apology from the publisher who also agreed to pay “substantial damages”.
Harry sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publisher of British tabloids The Sun and the now-closed News of the World – alleging that journalists and private investigators working for the publications targeted him and his family between 1996 and 2011.
David Sherborne, Harry’s lawyer, told London’s High Court that 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 illegal activity carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.”
Reading a statement on behalf of the defendant, Sherborne said NGN also offered an apology to the British royal family “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 also apologized for the impact of the intrusion into the private life of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.
The NGN also said it recognized the “distress caused to the Duke”, as well as the “damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family”.
Reports have emerged that the settlement for Harry and his fellow complainant – former lawmaker and ex-Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson – involved an eight-figure sum, which was likely to include legal costs as well as damages. A source close to Harry’s legal team confirmed to CNN the information.
Proceedings at London’s High Court were due to begin on Tuesday morning, but were repeatedly postponed following requests from lawyers on both sides. Ahead of the trial, which was expected to last eight to 10 weeks, the tabloid group resolved 1,300 other claims relating to the interception of voicemails outside of court, according to a spokesperson for the duke’s legal team.
The phone hacking scandal cost Murdoch’s business more than £1 billion, according to a 2021 investigation by industry publication Press Gazette.
Sherborne, reading a statement on behalf of the two complainants, stated: “In a monumental victory today, News UK admitted that The Sun, the flagship title of Rupert Murdoch’s UK media empire, had in fact engaged in illegal practices .”
Speaking outside court, Sherborne said the outcome represented “revenge for the hundreds of other claimants who were forced to settle without being able to uncover the truth about what was done to them.”
“After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending over a billion pounds on payments and legal costs, as well as paying off those who knew to prevent the full picture from being released, News UK is finally being held accountable for their illegal actions and their blatant disregard for the law,” he continued.
Harry’s fellow plaintiff Watson, who also settled, alleged that the tabloids engaged in illegal intelligence gathering and wiretapping between 2009 and 2011.
Watson has previously said he was targeted at the time he was investigating Murdoch’s newspapers during a high-profile phone-hacking scandal, which led to a government inquiry as well as the closure of the News of the World in 2011 and forced Murdoch to apologize by telephone tap.
Harry’s lawyer also told the court that NGN had apologized to his co-complainant Watson, for “unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life during his time in government by the News of the World during the period 2009-2011”.
In a statement to CNN an NGN spokesperson said illegal activity between 1996 and 2011 at The Sun was carried out by private investigators, and “not journalists”.
“There are strong controls and processes in place across all of our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now. There was no voicemail intercept at The Sun,” the spokesperson added.
NGN also said allegations that it had destroyed evidence in 2010 and 2011 “have been and continue to be strongly denied”.
“This matter was also fully investigated by the police and the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) between 2012-2015, at the conclusion of which it was discovered that there was no case to answer,” the spokesperson said.
‘The time has come for accountability’
Following the announcement of a settlement, the duke and his co-complainant called on authorities to investigate historic illegal activity carried out in Murdoch’s publications.
Speaking outside court on behalf of his clients, Sherborne said that “the rule of law must now take its full course” and that the pair were “calling on the police and parliament to investigate not only the illegal activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and the cover-ups along the way.”
“It is now clear that this has occurred throughout this process, including through sworn evidence, in inquests and court hearings, in evidence to parliament and right up until today’s final collapse of the News Group defence,” Sherborne continued.
“Today, the lies are exposed. Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one is above the law. The time has come for accountability.”
Watson, who was present in court, said “these illegal practices were not isolated incidents,” describing them as “on an industrial scale.”
He expressed his gratitude to the duke for his “astonishing bravery and courage” in helping to hold “a part of the media world that thought it was untouchable” to account.
The former lawmaker called on Murdoch to personally apologize to Harry, King Charles III and others “who have suffered at the hands of his media empire”.
Watson said “no one is above the law” and that his legal team would hand over a dossier of information to police.
London’s Metropolitan Police said it has not yet received anything from Watson’s legal team.
“We are aware of the outcome of the civil proceedings. It remains the case that there are no active police investigations into allegations of phone hacking or related matters. We await any correspondence from the parties involved, to which we will respond in due course,” police said in a statement shared with CNN .
Hacked Off, a UK press accountability organization, described the deal as a “humiliating setback” for NGN.
The group is asking authorities to investigate further, including another government investigation. “It is now clear that the public and parliament were misled by the newspaper and its publisher as part of the most extraordinary corporate cover-up in living memory,” Hacked Off board director Emma Jones told CNN outside the courthouse.
Jones told CNN that it took a prince to “actually get these things aired” and asked the police to investigate.
Harry’s legal battles
Harry’s tempestuous history with the British tabloid press is well documented. His memoir offered insights into his deep resentment for some media outlets and it’s no secret that he considers them complicit in his mother’s untimely death.
Over the years, he has taken it upon himself to fight for a “more responsible media,” as he once put it, with NGN’s rare apology on Wednesday years in the making.
He sued the publisher in 2019 and is involved in civil litigation with several UK publishers.
In 2023, his case against another tabloid group, Mirror Group Newspapers, went to trial. The duke was later awarded £140,600 after the court ruled he was the target of “extensive” phone hacking by the publisher from 2006 to 2011.
Harry also has another legal battle against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). This allegation, which involves several high-profile individuals including singer Elton John and actress Elizabeth Hurley, accuses the Daily Mail editor of illegal information gathering.
The group filed the case in October 2022 and alleged that ANL engaged in various types of criminal activity to obtain information about individuals in the group, including hiring private investigators to plant listening devices and record private phone calls. The ANL denied any wrongdoing.
This case could go to trial in early 2026.
This content was originally published in Prince Harry achieves “monumental victory” in lawsuit against tabloid on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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