Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid empire has made a rare public apology to Prince Harry, settling his long-running privacy invasion lawsuit and agreeing to pay him substantial damages.
The landmark settlement, announced in London’s High Court on Wednesday, marked the first time News Group Newspapers (NGN) has admitted to wrongdoing by The Sun.
In a statement read in court by Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, NGN issued a “full and unequivocal apology” to the Duke of Sussex for “serious intrusion into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for ‘The Sun’ between 1996 and 2011.”
The admission was unprecedented, as ‘The Sun’ has long denied any involvement in illegal activities. The statement also acknowledged “phone hacking, surveillance, and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators” targeting Prince Harry—allegations the publisher had previously dismissed.
Perhaps most notably, NGN went beyond the scope of Harry’s lawsuit to acknowledge its intrusion into the life of his late mother, Princess Diana.
“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,” the settlement statement said.
The settlement came just as Prince Harry’s case against NGN—focused on ‘The Sun’ and the now-defunct ‘News of the World’—was about to go to trial. Harry and former Labour MP Tom Watson were the last remaining claimants in a case that originally included over 1,300 people who had settled similar lawsuits against NGN.
This was the closest a case had come to trial since the 2011 phone-hacking scandal that led Murdoch to shut down ‘News of the World’. That closure followed revelations that the tabloid had hacked the phone of 13-year-old murder victim Milly Dowler while police were searching for her.
On Tuesday morning, as the trial was set to begin, Sherborne requested a recess, which was extended throughout the day as settlement negotiations intensified. By Wednesday, the deal was finalised.
Prince Harry has long had a contentious relationship with the British tabloids, dating back to his youth. His private struggles, relationships, and even drug use were frequent tabloid fodder. But his grievances go beyond personal scrutiny.
He has repeatedly blamed the press for his mother’s 1997 death in a car crash while being chased by paparazzi in Paris. More recently, he accused the tabloids of relentless attacks on his wife, Meghan Markle—attacks he said played a key role in their decision to leave royal life and move to the U.S. in 2020.
Harry’s pursuit of legal action has also created tensions within his family. In the 2023 documentary ‘Tabloids On Trial’, he revealed that his father, King Charles III, opposed his lawsuit. He also disclosed that his brother, Prince William, had privately settled a complaint against NGN for over £1 million ($1.23 million).
“I’m doing this for my reasons,” Harry said in the documentary, adding that he wished his family had stood by him in the legal battle.
The case was one of three lawsuits Harry has filed against British tabloids over privacy violations. His case against ‘The Mirror’s publisher ended in a victory last year when a judge ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at the newspaper.
Meanwhile, his third case—against the publisher of ‘The Daily Mail’—is set to go to trial next year, raising questions about how this latest settlement might influence its outcome.
For now, Harry has secured a rare apology from ‘The Sun’, a significant financial settlement, and a public acknowledgment of wrongdoing—marking a major win in his war against the British press.
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