Prince Harry Scores Big in Legal War with U.K. Tabloids

Prince Harry’s and the U.K. tabloids have reached a settlement, and Reuters reports the royal walked away with a "full and unequivocal apology" and "substantial damages.”

Harry brought a lawsuit against the tabloids in 2019 for allegedly using illegal tactics to dig up dirt on him and his wife Meghan Markle. The trial was about to get underway before both sides were able to hash out a surprise deal.

NGN’s apology, per Reuters, read in part, "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 company also apologized for “the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators.”

NGN acknowledged the “serious intrusion” into Harry’s life, “as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years.”

The company was sorry for the “distress caused to the Duke” and “the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family.”

The statement continued, “It is also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN's response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.”

People reports the “substantial damages” are somewhere in the eight-figure range.

After the settlement, NBC News reports Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne read a statement outside the London courthouse on behalf of Harry and another claimant, former lawmaker Tom Watson.

Sherborne said, “After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs (as well as paying-off those in the know) to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK [NGN’s parent company] is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law.”

He added, “Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago… Today the lies are laid bare. Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one stands above the law.”

Last year, Harry sat down with the U.K.’s ITV for the documentary “Tabloids on Trial,” explaining his hatred for the tabloids.

Harry, who was awarded $180,000 in the phone hacking scandal in February 2024, said he had no regrets about taking on the system because of what he claims his late mother Princess Diana endured with the press.

Harry believed Diana was “probably one of the first people to be hacked” back in the ’90s.

He argued, “And yet still today the press, the tabloid press, very much enjoy painting her as being paranoid but she wasn't paranoid. She was absolutely right of what was happening to her. And she's not around today to find out the truth."

Harry also explained how his battle with the tabloids added to the royal rift with his father and brother.

He said, “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it. But, you know, that’s a hard question to answer because anything I say about my family results in a torrent of abuse from the press.”

“I’ve made it very clear that this is something that needs to be done,” Harry added. “It would be nice if we, you know, did it as a family. I believe that, again, from a service standpoint and when you are in a public role, that these are the things that we should be doing for the greater good. But, you know, I’m doing this for my reasons.”