Prince Harry settles lawsuit against Murdoch's UK tabloids

Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex delivers a speech during the Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House in London on March 5, 2020. Paul Edwards, AFP/File

LONDON, United Kingdom -- Prince Harry dramatically settled Wednesday his long-running lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloid publisher, which agreed to pay him "substantial damages" after admitting intruding into his private life, including by hacking his phone.

Murdoch's News Group Newspapers (NGN) issued a wide-ranging apology and admission of wrongdoing, in what Harry's lawyer David Sherborne called "a monumental victory" that underlined the need for further probes.

The publisher notably apologized to King Charles's youngest son for the impact of the "serious intrusion" into the private life of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, "in particular during his younger years".

The settlement concludes a years-long legal battle over claims of unlawful practices by two of Murdoch's newspapers -- The Sun and now-shuttered News of the World -- and avoids a High Court trial in the public spotlight.

The trial had been due to begin on Tuesday and last up to eight weeks.

"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," an NGN statement said, using Harry’s formal title.

It noted the apology covered "incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators" working for the tabloid.

It also 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".

And it said sorry for "the damage inflicted" on Harry's "relationships, friendships and family," adding the publisher had "agreed to pay him substantial damages".

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- 'Monumental victory' -

Speaking outside the High Court, Sherborne said NGN was "finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law".

"In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted that The Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdoch's UK media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices," he added, referring to the media mogul's wider UK media firm.

"The rule of law must now run its full course."

Sherborne noted Harry and co-claimant Tom Watson, a Labour lawmaker, "join others in calling for the police and parliament to investigate" saying there had been "perjury and cover-ups along the way".

The prince and Watson, a former deputy leader of the Labour party who now sits in the House of Lords, were the last remaining claimants against NGN over phone hacking and unlawful practices claims dating back more than a decade.

Both accused NGN executives of deliberately covering up the unlawful practices by deleting emails.

Watson on Wednesday paid tribute to Harry's "bravery and astonishing courage" for bringing legal claims against "the big beasts of the tabloid jungle".

Dozens of other NGN claimants settled in recent years, including Harry's brother and heir-to-the-throne Prince William.

NGN also apologized Wednesday to Watson and agreed to pay him "substantial damages" for "the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life" by the News of the World between 2009 and 2011.

He was an MP and sat on a parliamentary media watchdog committee at the time.

- 'Above the law' -

Widespread phone hacking allegations against a number of British tabloids emerged in the late 2000s, prompting the launch of a public inquiry into UK press culture.

NGN apologized at the time for unlawful practices at the News of the World and closed it in 2011, while denying similar claims against The Sun and suggestions of a corporate cover-up.

It has since settled cases brought by around 1,300 claimants.

Before Wednesday, the publisher had already paid out around £1 billion ($1.2 billion) including legal costs, according to British media, and has never seen a case go to trial.

Speaking outside court, Watson appealed to the current Labour government and police to investigate the publisher's new admissions.

"Are we really willing to continue as a country where some executives are above the law and out of the reach of the police?" he said.

The lawsuit was one of several that Harry has pursued against UK newspaper publishers, with whom he has long had a fractious relationship.

He has blamed the paparazzi for the 1997 Diana's death in a car chase in Paris.

The California-based royal won a phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers just over a year ago.

Harry, who quit as a working royal in 2020 and settled in the United States with his wife Meghan, had been due to give evidence during the now-scrapped trial. He was not present this week.

© Agence France-Presse