Prince Harry has reached a settlement in his long-standing legal dispute with Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group, News Group Newspapers (NGN). The Duke of Sussex had filed a lawsuit against NGN, the publisher of British tabloids The Sun and News of the World, alleging unlawful information gathering targeting him and his family between 1996 and 2011.
The duke's barrister informed London's High Court that NGN issued a full and unequivocal apology to Prince Harry for the serious intrusion into his private life by The Sun and the News of the World. The apology included acknowledgment of phone hacking, surveillance, and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators working for the newspapers.
NGN also expressed regret for the impact on Prince Harry, including the distress caused, damage to relationships, and intrusion into the private lives of both the duke and his late mother, Princess Diana. As part of the settlement, NGN agreed to pay substantial damages to Prince Harry without admitting any illegality.
In a related claim, former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson, who was investigating the Murdoch newspapers during a phone hacking scandal, also settled with NGN. Watson alleged unlawful information gathering and phone hacking by the tabloids between 2009 and 2011, during his time in government.
The legal proceedings at London's High Court, which were scheduled to begin on Tuesday, were repeatedly delayed before the settlement was reached. The resolution of this case marks a significant development in Prince Harry's ongoing efforts to protect his privacy and hold media organizations accountable for their actions.
