Prince Harry’s Legal Battle Comes to an Unexpected End

A years-long crusade against media intrusion reached a dramatic conclusion Wednesday as Prince Harry secured a landmark settlement with Rupert Murdoch‘s News Group Newspapers, including a public apology and damages reportedly exceeding $12 million.

According to People, the publisher issued “a full and unequivocal apology” to the Duke of Sussex for unlawful intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011, marking the first time the company has acknowledged wrongdoing connected to the tabloid. The settlement also included an unprecedented apology for invasions into the private life of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.

The resolution came just before the highly anticipated trial was set to begin, following intense last-minute negotiations. The media group admitted to “serious intrusion” into Harry’s private life, including “incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators” working for The Sun, as well as “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information” by their now-defunct News of the World publication.

Outside the courthouse, former Labour MP Tom Watson, who settled alongside Harry, praised the prince’s determination. “His bravery and astonishing courage has brought accountability to a part of the media world that thought it was untouchable,” Watson declared, calling for Murdoch to personally apologize to Harry, King Charles, and others affected by his media empire’s actions.

The settlement represents a significant shift in the publisher’s stance, as they had previously denied wrongdoing at The Sun. According to People, NGN has now agreed to pay “substantial damages” to both Harry and Watson, though the exact amount remains undisclosed in court documents.

The resolution comes after Harry had expressed willingness to pursue the case regardless of cost. In a December conversation with The New York Times, he emphasized that accountability was his primary motivation, stating, “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.”

The Washington Post notes that this settlement adds to the approximately $1.2 billion NGN has already paid to settle similar claims with about 1,300 individuals over the years. The publisher’s strategy of offering substantial settlements to avoid public trials mirrors their approach in other high-profile cases, including Fox News’s $787.5 million settlement with Dominion Voting Systems in 2023.

In a joint statement read outside the court, Harry and Watson called the outcome “a monumental victory” and “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.” They called for further investigation by police and Parliament into both the admitted unlawful activities and alleged cover-ups.

Court documents revealed that Harry had previously informed his brother, Prince William, about his legal intentions via text in September 2019, writing: “Obviously my aim is to expose all their lies and manipulation to the public, to get a public apology for all of us and to get some justice. It’s certainly not the easy decision as they’ve always terrified me, but it’s without doubt the right and only one to make.” The settlement marks the end of active phone-hacking litigation against Murdoch’s British publications, though Harry and Watson’s statement suggested senior executives who allegedly orchestrated these practices remain in positions of power across global media organizations.