Prince Harry settles lawsuit against Sun, ‘8-figure’ sum reported

Prince Harry settled his trial against News Group Newspapers (NGN), owner of the British tabloid The Sun.

In a press release published in Us every week On Wednesday, January 22, NGN said it had agreed to pay Harry, 40, “substantial damages” after he accused the company of illegally collecting information about him and his family.

NGN also apologized for the “serious intrusion” into Prince Harry’s private life.

“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion of The Sun between 1996 and 2011 in his private life, including incidents of illegal activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun», Indicates the press release.

The organization added a new apology for “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information” by journalists and private investigators working at the now-defunct agency. World Newswhich she also owned.

“NGN further apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive media coverage and the serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, particularly during of his younger years,” the statement said. said.

It continued: “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. It is also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN’s response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions was regrettable.”

NGN also issued “a full and unequivocal apology” to Lord Tom Watson, a British politician, “for the unwarranted intrusion into his privacy during his time in government by the News of the World during the period 2009- 2011”.

“This includes his being placed under surveillance in 2009 by News of the World journalists and those they commissioned. NGN also acknowledges and apologizes for the negative impact this has had on Lord Watson’s family and has agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the statement added.

NGN did not disclose the amount it paid as part of the settlement when contacted by We; the Duke’s representatives also declined to comment. However, several publications reported that it was an eight-figure sum.

BBC News indicated that the settlement could have been around £10 million, or around $12 million, while People reports that the settlement likely exceeded that figure.

Chris Ship, UK Royal Editor ITV News, written the: “The damages awarded by NGN to Prince Harry are between £10 million and £20 million, according to a well-placed source.”

In a statement read out of court On Wednesday, Harry and Watson’s lawyer, David Sherborne, said NGN “has ultimately been held accountable for its illegal actions and blatant disregard for the law.”

Sherborne alleged that company executives deleted more than 30 million emails and made false denials during a previous investigation.

Sherborne also called for a police investigation into NGN, BBC News reports.

Harry filed a lawsuit against NGN in 2019, alleging that its journalists engaged in illegal news-gathering practices.

In April 2023, it was decided that the case could move forward over allegations of illegal information collection. However, Harry’s phone hacking allegations were initially dismissed because they did not meet the six-year statute of limitations.

Around the same time, Harry alleged in a court filing that his brother, Prince William, set with NGN for a “very significant sum” in 2020. He also claimed the royal family had a “secret deal” with the company, which prevented them from taking legal action against it. This was denied by NGN.