Prince Harry just got a whole lot richer after reaching a last-minute settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group newspapers over allegations he was spied on by predatory tabloids in court proceedings.
Harry’s lawyers said in a statement that both sides had reached a settlement just a day after the trial began on Wednesday.
NGN released its own statement saying: “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.”
The company, which referred to Harry in part by his alternative royal title, “Duke of Sussex,” did not provide an exact dollar amount.
NGN also apologized “fully and unequivocally” to Harry for hacking her mobile phone and invading her life, while admitting that one of its tabloids, The Sun, had recruited private investigators to carry out illegal activities.
In addition, the media regrets for interfering with the life of the late Princess Diana, who was killed in a car accident in 1997 while trying to escape from the paparazzi in Paris, France.
The settlement appears to be a win for both sides, with NGN freed from weeks of potentially damaging testimony about unscrupulous news-gathering practices.
3/27/23
AP:
And, under British law, Harry would have to pay all legal costs for both sides if he lost the case.
You may recall … Harry first filed the lawsuit in 2019, explaining that he wasn’t after the money, but rather to hold the company’s executives accountable for their wrongdoing.
