Prince Harry’s determined quest to hold U.K. tabloids accountable for decades of alleged unlawful intrusion into his life came to a conclusion as he settled his case against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers — publisher ofThe Sun —before the trial officially began.
PEOPLE understands the damages awarded to Harry involve an eight-figure sum, likely exceeding $12 million.
Prince Harry leaves after giving evidence at the Mirror Group Phone hacking trial at the Rolls Building at High Court on June 7, 2023 in London, England.Leon Neal/Getty
Leon Neal/Getty
He accused the publisher of illegal information gathering between 1996 and 2011, a period during whichThe Sunand the now-defunctNews of the Worldallegedly targeted him.
Prince Harry at the Royal Courts of Justice in 2023.Carl Court/Getty
Carl Court/Getty
“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.”
Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne on Jan. 22, 2025.James Manning/PA Images via Getty
James Manning/PA Images via Getty
Speaking outside the High Court in London, Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, spoke on behalf of the Duke and his co-claimant Watson, urging a police investigation into the newspaper. Sherborne also detailed how the legal battle has deeply affected Harry and his family’s personal lives.
“In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted thatThe Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices," Sherborne said. “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.”
“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 atThe Sunas it did at theNews of the World, with the knowledge of all the editors and executives, going to the very top of the company,” Sherborne continued.
Sherborne said 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 atThe 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 said.
“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 said. “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.”
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 03, 2022 in London, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage
Karwai Tang/WireImage
Outside the court, Lord Watson praised Prince Harry 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. 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,” he said.
Watson 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.”
In December, Prince Harry admitted during a conversation withThe New York Timescolumnist and DealBook founder Andrew Ross Sorkin that his anticipated legal expenses would far exceed any potential court settlement.
“One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that," he said.
Prince Harry’s co-claimant Lord Watson.Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
Harry is not the first high-profile name to accept a settlement in the case. In April, 2024Hugh Grantsettled with NGN, citing thevast costs that were at stake. Other famous names, includingSienna Miller, were alsoinvolved in the initial claimsbut largely settled at an earlier stage.
Grant explained in April 2024 that he felt he had no choice to settle as he may have been hit with legal fees running into more than $10 million, even if he had been successful. In a lengthy thread on X (formerly known as Twitter), he said, “News Group are claiming they are entirely innocent of the things I had accused the Sun of doing - phone hacking, unlawful information gathering, landline tapping, the burglary of my flat and office, the bugging of my car, the illegal blagging of medical records, lies, perjury and the destruction of evidence.”
Hugh Grant at the 2024 Governer’s Ball in Los Angeles.Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
“As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court.““I don’t want to accept this money or settle. I would love to see all the allegations that they deny tested in court,” he continued. “But the rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides.”
A spokesperson for NGN told PEOPLE in a statement at the time that it admitted no liability and that settling the case was “in both parties' financial interests not to progress to a costly trial.”
source: people.com