In a rare and extraordinary move, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) publicly apologized to Prince Harry for years of privacy violations, including phone hacking, surveillance, and misuse of personal information. The settlement, announced Wednesday in London’s High Court, comes with a substantial, undisclosed payout to the Duke of Sussex.
A bombshell apology
The apology marked the first time NGN admitted wrongdoing at The Sun, a tabloid infamous for its sensationalism. Prince Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, read the settlement statement in court, which detailed “serious intrusion” into Harry’s life by private investigators working for The Sun between 1996 and 2011.
The apology also extended to Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, acknowledging the tabloid’s role in intruding into her life—an admission that carried emotional weight for the prince, who has long blamed the media for her tragic death in 1997.
“We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships, and family,” the statement read.
The closest a royal has come to a trial
The settlement came just as Harry’s case was about to begin—a trial that could have brought NGN’s practices under unprecedented scrutiny. His case against The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World was the culmination of years of legal battles, with Harry being one of the few claimants refusing to settle quietly.
This was not Harry’s first legal victory against the British tabloids. In 2023, a judge ruled that phone hacking was “widespread and habitual” at the Daily Mirror, making Harry the first senior royal to testify in court since the 19th century.
A personal crusade
Harry’s animosity toward the press is deeply personal. He has accused the media of contributing to his mother’s death and relentlessly attacking his wife, Meghan Markle, which he says forced the couple to leave royal life in 2020.
The settlement also exposed fractures within the royal family. Harry revealed in court papers that his father, King Charles III, opposed his lawsuit, and his brother, Prince William, had privately settled a similar case with NGN for over £1 million.
“I’m doing this for my reasons,” Harry said in the documentary Tabloids on Trial, lamenting that his family did not join him in his fight against the press.
What’s next?
While this case has reached its conclusion, Harry is not done. Another lawsuit, this time against the publisher of the Daily Mail, is set for trial in 2025, promising yet another chapter in his battle for privacy.
The apology and settlement signal a turning point in the long-standing feud between the Duke of Sussex and Britain’s tabloid industry—a feud that continues to shape his life, his family, and his legacy.
