Prince Harry Reaches $12 Million Settlement In Legal Battle Against Rupert Murdoch’s Tabloid ‘The Sun’

On Jan. 22, Prince Harry reached a surprise settlement in his legal battle with the publisher of The Sun, News Group Newspaper (NGN) – which saw him receive over $12 million and an official apology.

Although the official price of the settlement is unknown, it was reported that it was an eight-figure sum that likely exceeded $12 million.

NGN was required to issue a “full and unequivocal apology” to Harry 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.”

Harry first sued the tabloid publisher in 2011, accusing the paper’s journalists and private investigators of unlawful activities from 1996 to 2011.

NGN also apologized for the reports on Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, who died in a traffic collision while running from the paparazzi. The statement read, “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.”

Following NGN’s apology, Harry’s lawyer in the matter, David Sherborne, delivered a statement: “In a monumental victory today, News UK has admitted that The Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdock’s U.K. media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices. This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling, without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them.”

He continued, “After endless resistance, denials, and legal battles by NGN, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and 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.”

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