The Duke of Sussex resolves claims of unlawful intrusion against British tabloids
Prince Harry has surprised many by settling a legal case against UK publisher News Group Newspapers (NGN), which he had previously vowed to pursue for accountability over alleged unlawful intrusion into his private life.
The Duke of Sussex, who had initially refused to settle, once stated, “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.” His claim accused journalists and private investigators working for NGN of using illegal methods to obtain private information, followed by alleged cover-ups by company executives.
The unexpected settlement was announced after Harry’s barrister, David Sherborne, requested a delay to the High Court trial. Speculation had grown that both sides were in talks to resolve the case before the trial began.
In earlier court documents, Harry’s legal team alleged that his older brother, Prince William, had also settled a case with NGN in 2020 for a “very large sum of money.”
While NGN has apologised for unlawful practices at the now-defunct News of the World, it denies similar claims regarding The Sun and Harry’s broader allegations of a corporate cover-up. Over the years, NGN has reportedly paid out hundreds of millions of pounds in settlements for phone-hacking and other illegal information-gathering practices, affecting more than 1,300 claimants, including celebrities and ordinary individuals linked to high-profile events.
Harry had initially filed his claim over more than 200 articles published between 1996 and 2011, which he alleged were based on illegally obtained information. Despite expressing a strong desire to take the case to trial for the sake of accountability for other victims, he opted to settle.
This is not Harry’s first legal victory against British tabloids. Last year, he settled a separate case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over unlawful information-gathering practices, receiving damages exceeding £300,000 and having his legal costs fully covered.
The settlement marks another significant development in Harry’s ongoing battle with the British media.
