Prince Harry Settles With Murdoch Papers

Prince Harry’s yearslong legal battle against Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper group took an unexpected turn on Wednesday, after the duke settled his case over allegations of unlawful information gathering shortly before the trial was due to get underway.

CNN reports The Duke of Sussex, 40, had sued News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publisher of British tabloids The Sun and the now-shuttered News of the World – claiming journalists and private investigators working for the publications had targeted him and his family between 1996 and 2011.

David Sherborne, the duke’s barrister, told London’s High Court on Wednesday that 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.”

Reading out the full statement on behalf of the defendant, Sherborne said NGN also offered an apology to the royal “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 apologizes 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,” Sherborne told the court.

“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 were regrettable,” he continued.

His fellow claimant, ex-lawmaker and former Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson, who also settled, had alleged that the tabloids engaged in unlawful information gathering and phone hacking between 2009 and 2011.