Prince Harry has reacted to the last minute settlement of his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (publisher of The Sun and News of the World) just hours before the trial was set to begin in London on Tuesday.
In an unexpected turnaround, the two sides, likely wary of legal expenses and the kind of dirty laundry only someone’s day in court can air, buckled under the pressure and opted for a deal. It was celebrated as a “monumental victory” by Prince Harry’s camp, as he’s set to receive a hefty sum in reparations on top of the media corporation issuing a damning apology where it admits to using “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information” between 1996 and 2011. The latter, the duke’s statement insists, is what the entire ordeal was about all along.
“Historic admission of guilt”
According to a statement issued to the Byline Times news magazine, Prince Harry’s team says it was his “sheer resilience” to take NGN “not just to the steps of court but inside the courtroom itself” that led to this turnaround. Previously, NGN settled more than 1,300 other lawsuits concerning unlawful news-gathering, but none came with an apology as lengthy and flashy.
“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,” Harry’s spokesperson affirms, adding that “truth that has now been exposed.”
NGN’s apology was sent to multiple British outlets, and can be read in full in The Guardian. Perhaps more importantly than admitting to having crossed boundaries with Prince Harry was NGN’s confession to “serious intrusions” into “the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years.”
The apology played a big part in getting Harry to settle, as he had previously stated that he was less interested in money than he was in the truth — even if going to trial could have cost him upwards of $12 million in legal fees, per the BBC, and this way he’s getting all the money instead of spending it.
“They ran a criminal enterprise”
Beyond the accusations of breaches of privacy, Prince Harry’s lawsuit also aimed to prove an “extensive conspiracy” by NGN to cover its tracks in 2006 after the arrest of one of their Royal correspondents. In his victory statement, the duke says “Senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails, destroying back-up tapes, and making false denials” on top of lying under oath.
In its apology, NGN “[acknowledges], without any admission of illegality, that [its] response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.”
The duke further points out that the people who were calling the shots during those 15 years are still highly influential now, “perpetuating the toxic culture in which they continue to thrive.” His statement singles out CEO Rebekah Brooks who, in a 2014 trial, said she “ran a clean ship.” “They now admit, when she was Editor of The Sun, they ran a criminal enterprise,” Prince Harry slams.
“The rule of law must now run its full course”
Prince Harry’s statement ends by putting the ball on the police’s court and calling for authorities to “investigate not only the unlawful activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and cover ups along the way.” The duke’s camp argues that this resolution has laid bare all the lying and proved “that no one stands above the law.” “The time for accountability has arrived,” the text concludes.
Published: Jan 22, 2025 02:26 pm