This Wednesday, Prince Harry won an important battle, obtaining recognition of the illegal actions carried out by the tabloid The Sun and its publisher between 1996 and 2011. The Duke of Sussex agreed to put an end to their conflict in court, receiving substantial damages, at over £10 million.
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The Sun editor recognizes the “ illegal activities » carried out to obtain information about Prince Harry
Britain’s Prince Harry, 40, has won other battles against tabloids before, but this victory against NGN is « monumental »as described by Prince Harry in a statement published on January 22, 2025. Lord Tom Watson, former deputy leader of the Labor Party, was the second complainant in this case. He also won his case. Prince Harry accused The Sun group and News of the World (a publication which no longer exists today) of having illegally obtained information concerning him and his mother Diana.
For six years, Prince Harry had been preparing this lawsuit against News Group Newspapers (NGN), a press group which owns The Sun, The Times and formerly News of the World. The trial was to begin today and was expected to last several weeks, but representatives of both parties announced that an agreement had been reached, after a day of negotiations. According to The Telegraph, the compensation obtained exceeds 10 million pounds sterling, or more than 11.8 million euros.
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Prince Harry accepts nearly 12 million euros in compensation
In addition to the financial compensation which closes the case, Prince Harry also received an apology and the press group admitted the facts. After a day of intense negotiations, David Sherborne, the Duke of Sussex’s lawyer, emerged from the building to make a statement to the press: “I am pleased to announce to the court that the parties have reached an agreement”. Following this agreement, NGN presented Prince Harry with “full and unequivocal apology for the Sun’s serious intrusion into his privacy as well as the privacy of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, particularly during her younger years. »
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This announcement was totally unexpected. Just a few weeks ago, the Duke of Sussex affirmed that he would not accept any agreement in this matter. He added, however, that his objective was to have the publisher’s guilt recognized, a guilt which was indeed publicly recognized. “Today, the lies are exposed. Today the cover-ups are revealed »said Prince Harry’s lawyer. “And today it proves that no one is above the law. The time for accountability has come. »
The group, belonging to press mogul Rupert Murdoch, admitted its wrongdoing in a press release. “NGN apologizes fully and unequivocally to the Duke of Sussex for the Sun’s serious intrusion between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of illegal activity carried out by private investigators working for the Sun.”
“NGN also apologizes fully and unequivocally to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators commissioned by them at the News of the World. NGN also apologizes to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive media coverage and the serious intrusion into his and Diana’s privacy.”. Finally, the press group apologized “for the distress caused to the Duke, as well as the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages. »
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