Prince Harry Settles Privacy Case Against Murdoch’s Tabloids

Prince Harry has settled his case against the publisher of the Rupert Murdoch-owned The Sun newspaper, who has offered the Duke a “full and unequivocal” apology.

The trial against the News Group Newspapers (NGN) unit of the Murdoch-owned News Corp’s U.K. operation had kicked off at the High Court in London on Tuesday, without the Duke of Sussex in attendance, but last-minute negotiations have officially ended the long-running legal battle.

Harry had brought the case to NGN, claiming his privacy had been violated by alleged phone hacking and unlawful information gathering had been carried out by journalists and private investigators working for The Sun and the defunct News of the World between 1996 and 2011. Another topic for the court will be whether senior executives knew about these activities.

On Wednesday, NGN agreed to pay substantial damages and issued an apology to Harry, read by his lawyer David Sherborne, of the “serious intrusion by The Sun into his private life.”

“NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex 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,” the apology read. “NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.

It continued, referencing the intrusion into Princess Diana’s private life: “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.”

“We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages. It is also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN’s response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.”

“The goal is accountability. It’s really that simple,” Prince Harry told a press event in New York in December.

NGN has previously denied unlawful activity at The Sun and settled cases with dozens of other high-profile personalities, including the likes of Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller, with total payouts of more than $1.5 billion.