{"id":28893,"date":"2025-01-23T03:51:08","date_gmt":"2025-01-23T08:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=28893"},"modified":"2025-01-23T03:51:08","modified_gmt":"2025-01-23T08:51:08","slug":"sun-owner-to-pay-prince-harry-substantial-damages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/01\/23\/sun-owner-to-pay-prince-harry-substantial-damages\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun owner to pay Prince Harry &#8216;substantial&#8217; damages"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><b class=\"ssrcss-1xjjfut-BoldText e5tfeyi3\">The publisher of the Sun newspaper has agreed to pay &#8220;substantial damages&#8221; and apologised to the Duke of Sussex to settle a long-running legal battle over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life.<\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Prince Harry alleged journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) used unlawful techniques to pry on his private life &#8211; and executives then allegedly covered it up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">NGN apologised for &#8220;serious intrusion&#8221; by the Sun between 1996 and 2011, and admitted &#8220;incidents of unlawful activity&#8221; were carried out by private investigators working for the newspaper, in a statement read out in court.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It also apologised for distress it caused Harry through the &#8220;extensive coverage&#8221; and &#8220;serious intrusion&#8221; into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c2l0kzypgz4o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Has Prince Harry got what he wanted after tabloid apology?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The BBC understands the settlements to both Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson have cost NGN more than \u00a310m in pay outs and legal fees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">In total NGN has spent upwards of \u00a31bn in damages and costs to those who claim their phones were hacked and their privacy invaded by the News of the World and the Sun.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">When he launched his claim, the prince alleged that more than 200 articles published by NGN between 1996 and 2011 contained information gathered by illegal means.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He repeatedly said he wanted the case to go to trial so that he could get &#8220;accountability&#8221; for other alleged victims of unlawful newsgathering.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">NGN was &#8220;surprised by the serious approach by Prince Harry for settlement in recent days&#8221;, a source told the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A source close to the Duke of Sussex responded that the apology &#8220;provides all the insight you need&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Speaking outside court on behalf of Prince Harry, his barrister David Sherborne described the settlement as a &#8220;monumental victory&#8221;, and said NGN had been &#8220;finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Lord Watson, meanwhile, had alleged his phone was targeted around the time he was investigating newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch while an MP, at the height of the\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-24894403\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">phone-hacking scandal<\/a>\u00a0almost 15 years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">NGN also issued an apology to Lord Watson for intrusion into his private life by those working for the News of the World, including &#8220;being placed under surveillance&#8221; by journalists and people instructed by them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1le81vw-ListContainer e5tfeyi0\">\n<ul role=\"list\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\"><a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c20pqqx57pwo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The full apology to Prince Harry from Sun owner<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">NGN said in a statement its settlement &#8220;draws a line under the past&#8221; and &#8220;brings an end to this litigation&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">It added: &#8220;Lord Watson&#8217;s phone was not hacked in 2009-11 and had this gone to trial, NGN would have called evidence from telecoms experts to demonstrate that hacking after 2007 was nigh on impossible due to security upgrades undertaken by telecoms companies.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The apology also covers incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the Sun newspaper from 1996-2011, the statement said &#8211; but &#8220;not by journalists&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">The references to the Sun in the apology were key, as without it the prince would not have settled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">NGN has already apologised for unlawful practices at the now-defunct News of the World, but previously denied similar claims against the Sun &#8211; as well as Prince Harry&#8217;s wider allegation of a corporate-wide cover-up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">While it admitted no illegality, NGN acknowledged in its apology that its response to the arrests in 2006 of News of the World staff who hacked royal phones and those of celebrities &#8211; and its subsequent actions &#8211; were &#8220;regrettable&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Journalist Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, were later jailed for intercepting voicemails on phones belonging to the princes&#8217; aides.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">After the settlement was announced, Lord Watson told reporters: &#8220;I wish they had left my family alone. Today, I&#8217;m glad they have finally accepted responsibility.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Describing the snooping by NGN staff as &#8220;industrial in scale&#8221;, he said its owner Rupert Murdoch should offer &#8220;a personal apology&#8221; to Prince Harry, as well as any others affected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Lord Watson added that the legal team behind the case would pass a dossier to the Metropolitan Police.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">A Met spokesperson said it noted the outcome of the case, adding that there were &#8220;no active police investigations into allegations of phone hacking or related matters&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">By agreeing to a settlement, NGN has avoided eight weeks of slowly revealed allegations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Now the court will not test the claims that senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting emails and taking part in a cover up of evidence. This is &#8220;strongly denied&#8221; by NGN.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">And there will not be damaging headlines about press intrusion into the royal family and the heart of government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Princess Diana&#8217;s brother, Earl Spencer, said &#8220;it&#8217;s just wonderful that Harry fought for, and gained, an apology to his mother&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;She would be incredibly touched at that and rightly proud,&#8221; he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Former editor of the Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, said it would have been &#8220;massively damaging&#8221; had the company&#8217;s chief executive Rebekah Brooks been forced to give evidence at a trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Speaking to BBC Radio 4&#8217;s The World at One programme, he said he was &#8220;astonished&#8221; by NGN&#8217;s admissions in its statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">&#8220;There was always going to come a day like this, and [Prince] Harry&#8217;s pursued it. [NGN] are on the back foot and there is probably nothing else they could do.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it was &#8220;a significant day and a big relief&#8221; for the two claimants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She told The World At One she did not believe\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-20543133\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a second-stage Leveson inquiry into press practices<\/a>\u00a0was &#8220;fit for purpose&#8221;, but said families from the Hacked Off campaign group were preparing a &#8220;thorough briefing&#8221; about the changes they believe are required.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">She said the government had to work with the families and the media to make sure &#8220;we strike that right balance and we protect a free and fair press&#8221;.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-1qlkdz0-ComponentWrapper-FullWidthWrapper ey0461q0\" data-component=\"image-block\">\n<figure class=\"ssrcss-1vfya96-StyledFigure e34k3c22\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-ab5fd8-StyledFigureContainer e34k3c21\"><span class=\"ssrcss-1g56fck-Placeholder etlorgc0\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg.webp 976w\" type=\"image\/webp\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"ssrcss-11yxrdo-Image edrdn950\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/1800\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 240w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/320\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 320w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/480\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 480w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/624\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 624w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/800\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/976\/cpsprodpb\/c0d3\/live\/817424b0-d8d9-11ef-a289-b3809f04eef2.jpg 976w\" alt=\"Tom Watson in dark suit speaking off notepad in front of a row of microphones. People in suits are standing behind him.\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013.0505709624797\" \/><\/picture><\/span><\/div><figcaption class=\"ssrcss-179o3th-StyledFigureCaption ehbdhz00\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-y7krbn-Stack e1y4nx260\">\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Former Labour deputy leader Lord Watson says his team will pass a dossier to police (Image: Reuters)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ssrcss-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper ep2nwvo0\" data-component=\"text-block\">\n<div class=\"ssrcss-7uxr49-RichTextContainer e5tfeyi1\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Harry was 12 when his mother, the Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being followed by paparazzi. He has suggested tabloid newspapers played a role in her death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">Last year he said the tabloid press\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/c6p2e3p5gr2o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">had been &#8220;central&#8221; to the breakdown<\/a>\u00a0of his relationship with the rest of the Royal Family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"ssrcss-1q0x1qg-Paragraph e1jhz7w10\">He has also\u00a0<a class=\"ssrcss-f6h2dj-InlineLink e1kn3p7n0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/uk-68249009\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">settled a case against Mirror Group Newspapers<\/a>\u00a0alleging the publishers had gathered information on him in unlawful ways from 1996 to 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cp3wn1k6drqo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\">The publisher of the Sun newspaper has agreed to pay &#8220;substantial damages&#8221; and apologised to the Duke of Sussex to settle a long-running legal battle over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life. Prince Harry <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2025\/01\/23\/sun-owner-to-pay-prince-harry-substantial-damages\/\" title=\"Sun owner to pay Prince Harry &#8216;substantial&#8217; damages\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[109,2,4],"tags":[6637,5399,10970,6638,9888,9558,6505],"class_list":{"0":"post-28893","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headline","8":"category-news","9":"category-uk","10":"tag-duke-of-sussex","11":"tag-media","12":"tag-news-group-newspapers","13":"tag-prince-harry","14":"tag-the-royal-family-and-the-media","15":"tag-uk-high-court","16":"tag-uk-royal-family","17":"pmpro-has-access"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28893","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28893"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28893\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28894,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28893\/revisions\/28894"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28893"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28893"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28893"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}