Prince Harry agrees to settlement while Murdoch’s UK tabloids offer full apology

Prince Harry’s lawyer announced Wednesday that he had reached a settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper group over charges of illegal information gathering, an abrupt end to a case that Harry saw as a final chance to hold the tabloids accountable for years of predatory behavior. .

News Group newspapers offered Harry a “full and unequivocal” apology for hacking into his mobile phone and interfering in his personal life, and admitted “unlawful” behavior by private investigators hired by a tabloid newspaper, The Sun.

The company also apologized for its journalists’ past intrusions into the private life of Harry’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi.

“We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke, and the harm caused to our relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him significant compensation,” the apology said, referring to Harry’s use of his alternative title, the Duke of Sussex. .

The settlement was announced the next day The long-awaited trial The investigation was due to begin, sparing the News Group’s newspapers weeks of damaging testimony about phone hacking and other illegal methods they used more than a decade ago to obtain information about Harry and other high-profile figures. It also spared Harry (40 years old), the youngest son of King Charles III, from major financial risks, regardless of his performance at court. Under English law, Harry was due to pay both sides’ legal costs if the court did not award him a sum proportional to what News Group newspapers offered him in the settlement.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.