22 January 2025 , 16:17
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Prince Harry has won his long-running legal battle against the publisher of the Sun, as well as ’substantial’ damages and an unprecedented apology.
Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson, brought legal action against News Group Newspapers (NGN) over allegations of unlawful information gathering by journalists and private investigators between 1996 to 2011.
Rupert Murdoch’s media empire has accepted - for the first time - unlawful activity at The Sun. The media group apologised for the intrusion into Harry’s private live, and apologised for the treatment of his mother, Princess Diana, ‘in particular during his younger years’.
NGN also conceded that Lord Watson had his phone hacked and was placed under surveillance between 2009 and 2011 when he was a serving MP investigating the phone hacking scandal.
The case was delayed yesterday due to discussions around settlements. After two earlier requests for adjournments on Tuesday, understood to be related to the settlement discussions, Mr Justice Fancourt refused a third request for a delay as both sides had had "ample time to seek to resolve their differences".
The media organisation offered a ’full and unequivocal’ apology for the intrusion into Prince Harry’s private life and agreed to pay ’substantial’ damages.
NGN apologised to Harry, saying: "NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.
"NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.
"NGN further apologises to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years."
"NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to Lord Watson for the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life during his time in Government by the News of the World during the period 2009- 2011. This includes him being placed under surveillance in 2009 by journalists at the News of the World and those instructed by them.
"NGN also acknowledges and apologises for the adverse impact this had on Lord Watson’s family and has agreed to pay him substantial damages.
"In addition, in 2011 News International received information that information was being passed covertly to Lord Watson from within News International. We now understand that this information was false, and Lord Watson was not in receipt of any such confidential information. NGN apologises fully and unequivocally for this."
Prince Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne said outside court: “After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs (as well as paying-off those in the know) to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law.
"Senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails, destroying back-up tapes, and making false denials – all in the face of an on-going police investigation.
"They then repeatedly lied under oath to cover their tracks – both in Court and at the Leveson Public Inquiry. Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago.
"This has created serious concerns for the security of him and his family. Today the lies are laid bare. Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one stands above the law. The time for accountability has arrived."