Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Prince Harry, Royal Tea
Ilana Frost
It’s a great day for Prince Harry, who is reportedly receiving more than $12 million in damages after reaching a settlement in his legal battle against Robert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN).
NGN is the publisher of U.K. tabloid The Sun as well as the former U.K. tabloid News of the World — both of which have majorly invaded Harry and his family’s privacy in the past. The Duke of Sussex accused the publisher of unlawful information gathering by journalists and private investigators. The surprise agreement was reached on January 22, just before a trial in London was set to begin. Although NGN has denied Prince Harry’s allegations for years, they finally gave him a “full and unequivocal apology.” Now, his lawyer is calling for a police investigation into The Sun.
Here’s everything to know about Prince Harry’s settlement with News Group Newspapers, The Sun publisher.
Prince Harry and former Labour Member of Parliament Tom Watson sued NGN over alleged illegal methods of information gathering carried out by people working for the tabloids. The settlement was unexpected, as the Duke of Sussex has long wished to “expose the misdeeds … in open trial,” per NBC.
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The publisher apologized for “the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life” and the life of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana. NGN specifically apologized for “the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.” Yup, sounds pretty damn unlawful to me.
After the settlement was reached, Harry and Tom’s lawyer, David Sherborne, shared a statement outside of the London High Court that would’ve held the trial. He celebrated their “monumental victory” and reflected on the pain and distress NGN (allegedly) caused Harry’s family.
“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 [NGN’s parent company] is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law,” he said.
David continued, “Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago.” He noted that they’ve been concerned for their safety. “Today the lies are laid bare,” he said. “Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one stands above the law.”
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Well, I just hope this conclusion gives Prince Harry the peace and justice he deserves after this long, awful ordeal.