Prince Harry has received an apology from Rupert Murdoch's papers in a settlement deal
Prince Harry won a “monumental” victory against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group on Wednesday after the publisher settled his lawsuit, admitting wrongdoing at his Sun tabloid for the first time and paying unspecified damages.
King Charles' youngest son Harry, 40, sued the publisher of the Sun and the long-defunct News of the World at London's High Court, alleging that News Groups newspapers (NGN) illegally obtained personal information about him between 1996 and In 1996 in 2011
News Group has “fully and unequivocally apologized to the Duke of Sussex” for “the hacking, surveillance and misuse of personal information by journalists and their commissioned private investigators,” Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, said in a statement read out in court.
Sherborne said a deal had been struck with NGN agreeing to pay significant damages and that NGN accepted that Harry had been the victim of illegal activity by the Sun and had had his phone hacked by the News of the World.
Hear from Prince Harry's lawyer David Sherborne after a lengthy confidentiality claim against Rupert Murdoch's News Group newspapers was settled on Wednesday.
Sherborne said it was “time for accountability”, calling on British police and the UK government to launch an investigation, alleging NGN bosses had helped clean up 30 million emails over the years.
The lawyer, who said the plaintiffs intend to provide police with a “file revealing wrongdoing”, also took aim at Rebecca Brooks, who was editor of the Sun between 2003 and 2009.
Brooks resigned from the parent company, now known as News Corp UK, shortly before he was arrested on conspiracy and communications charges in July 2011. He was acquitted at trial in 2014 and rejoined News Corp UK the following year.
“At her trial in 2014, Rebecca Brooks said: “When I was editor of The Sun, we ran a clean ship,” Sherburne said. , they were running a criminal enterprise.”
Apology to Harry in its entirety
“NGN apologizes fully and unequivocally to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion into his private life by The Sun between 1996 and 2011, including incidents of misconduct by private investigators working for The Sun,” the News Group said. in apology.
“NGN also apologizes fully and unequivocally to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of personal information directed by journalists and private investigators at the News of the World.
“NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the extensive coverage it has had on him and the impact of the serious intrusion into his private life and that of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, particularly when he was younger.
“We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke and the damage to relationships, friendships and family and have agreed to pay him significant damages.”
News Group says the malicious activity is a thing of the past
Harry has long railed against British tabloids for their reporting and paparazzi, suing the media outlets of a number of British tabloids.
He first filed suit against NGN in 2019, and an eight-week trial to decide their hotly contested lawsuit was due to begin on Tuesday.
Harry, who became the first senior member of the royal family to testify in court in 130 years in a separate trial in 2023, was due to give evidence next month.
Harry is currently believed to be in California where he currently resides.
Harry admitted in a British documentary that the crusade was “part of the rift” with members of the royal family.
King Charles opposed the trial, Harry said in legal documents.
NGN has paid hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of News of the World phone hacking and other illegal data collection and settled more than 1,300 lawsuits involving celebrities, politicians, sports figures and the general public. people who relate to them or major events.
But it has always rejected claims there was wrongdoing at the Sun newspaper, or that any senior figure knew about it or tried to cover it up, as Harry's claim alleges.
In a statement, an NGN spokesman said its apology was for the wrongful conduct of private investigators working for The Sun, not its reporters.
“There are strong controls and processes in place across all our titles today to make sure this can't happen now. There was no voicemail interception at The Sun,” the spokesman said, adding that the settlement marked the likely end of any legal proceedings and the future. cases were liable to be thrown out.
Sian Harrison, London-based author and media law expertCBC News was told Harry received a “significant” concession from the Sun, but the tabloid and its corporate bosses would be happy to avoid having the damaging allegations aired in court.
While the prince vowed to follow the legal process all the way to the courtroom, Harrison said he believed the fact that British civil law imposes prohibitive legal costs on those who lose suits was undoubtedly a factor.
Harrison added that despite Sherborne's comments outside court, it is “probably unlikely” that further criminal charges will arise after all these years.
A British lawmaker was also pardoned
Labor MP Tom Watson, who serves in the House of Lords, was due to attend the trial for the Duke of Sussex's similar claims.Watson also apologized to the Murdoch firm on Wednesday.
NGN offered “a full and unequivocal apology to Lord Watson for the unjustified invasion of his private life by the News of the World between 2009 and 2011, carried out while he was in government”.
Former Labor deputy leader Tom Watson, who also won on Wednesday, praised the British prince's courage and determination in his fight against tabloids owned by media baron Rupert Murdoch and others.
In their joint statement, Harry and Watson said NGN has now paid out more than £1 billion ($1.77 billion Cdn) over the years.
Speaking outside court, Watson praised Harry's “bravery and astonishing courage” in pursuing the case “under extraordinary pressure”.
The lawmaker called on Rupert Murdoch to issue a personal apology to Harry and others whose privacy has been breached by entities in his media empire.
Hugh Grant settled with NGN last year over allegations that journalists tapped his phone and ransacked his home, but the actor was reluctant to do so, but said the legal costs were a potential barrier and that the proceeds from the settlement he won will donate to advocacy groups.
The News of the World has folded after 168 years in the wake of the phone hacking scandal.
During a British parliamentary hearing in 2011, Murdoch expressed regret for what happened to his British newspapers, but insisted he was not personally responsible.
Prince Harry is declaring victory after a London judge said he was the victim of phone hacking by British publisher Mirror Group Newspapers.
“The people I trusted to run it, and then maybe the people they trusted,” he said.
Murdoch's companies own a number of other news organizations around the world, including Fox News, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post in the US, the Times of London in the UK and several companies in his native Australia. :
Harry was previously awarded £140,600 (about $240,430) after London's High Court ruled he was the victim of “modest” phone hacking and other illegal information gathering by journalists at Britain's Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
Harry sued MGN, publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People.
But the Duke of Sussex was ordered to pay legal costs to the Daily Mail in another legal bid which failed and he later dropped the case.
