Prince Harry Receives Apology from The Sun Publisher Over ‘Unlawful Activities’
The Apology Marks the First Admission of Unlawful Activities at The Sun, Says Lawyer in the Case
Prince Harry has received an “unequivocal apology” from News Group Newspapers (NGN) following “serious intrusion” by The Sun, including unlawful activities by private investigators hired by the paper, as Harry and the publisher settled their UK High Court case.
The 40-year-old Prince alleged that he was targeted by journalists and private investigators working for NGN, the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World.
Just before a trial that could have lasted up to ten weeks was set to begin, Harry and NGN reached an agreement, following speculation about a potential settlement when the trial’s start was repeatedly delayed.
The agreement was announced in court on Wednesday morning by Harry’s barrister, David Sherborne, and included a “full and unequivocal apology” along with “substantial” damages.
In a statement read to the court, the media company apologised for intrusions between 1996 and 2011, including “incidents of unlawful activities” by private investigators working for The Sun.
NGN also expressed regret to Harry for phone hacking, surveillance, and the misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators at the News of the World, which shut down in 2011.
“We acknowledge and apologise 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 NGN statement read.
The publisher also apologised for the “serious intrusion” into the private life of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.
The apology marked the first time that unlawful activities had been admitted at The Sun, one of the lawyers in the case said, with Mr Sherborne describing it as a “historic admission.”
In a statement outside the court in London, Mr Sherborne added: “In a monumental victory today, News UK has admitted that The Sun, the flagship title of Rupert Murdoch’s UK media empire, engaged in illegal practices.”
“This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were forced to settle without uncovering the full truth of what had been done to them.”
“After years of resistance, denials, and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, which included spending over a billion pounds in legal costs and payouts, as well as paying off those in the know to prevent the truth from emerging, News UK is finally held accountable for its illegal actions and blatant disregard for the law.”
In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, an NGN spokesperson clarified that the apology to Harry covered “incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, between 1996 and 2011.”
The spokesperson added: “There are strong controls and processes in place at all our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now. There was no voicemail interception at The Sun.”
The spokesperson also stated that publicly made allegations about News International destroying evidence from 2010 to 2011 “would have been strongly challenged at trial” and are “strongly denied.”
“After more than a decade of litigation and 14 years since the closure of the News of the World, today’s settlement draws a line under the past and brings an end to this litigation,” they concluded.
