THE owner of The Sun today settled a High Court case with Prince Harry and the Labour peer Lord Watson over historical allegations.
The agreement brings to an end legal proceedings which dated back between 14 and 30 years.
As part of the terms of the settlement, News Group Newspapers offered an apology to the Duke of Sussex for intrusion into his private life by The Sun between 1996 and 2011.
NGN also offered an apology to Lord Watson for intrusion into his private life during his time in Government by the now-defunct News of the World during the period 2009- 2011. [Damages will also be paid to both men].
The judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, had repeatedly urged both sides to seek a resolution.
In October, he warned that the case was taking up “more than an appropriate” amount of court time.
The trial had been expected to last up to 10 weeks, with Harry giving evidence over several days.
Harry, the Duke of Sussex, had previously indicated he would not settle the case as taking it to trial was about “accountability”.
In a statement, a spokesman for NGN said: “Our apology to the Duke of Sussex includes an apology for incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011.
“There are strong controls and processes in place at all our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now. There was no voicemail interception on The Sun.”
The statement went on: “After more than a decade of litigation, and 14 years since the News of the World closed down, today’s settlement draws a line under the past and brings an end to this litigation.
“The Sun today can face the future and continue its proud record of award-winning public interest journalism, investigations and campaigning on behalf of its readers.”
Harry has pursued a series of legal cases against the media and others.
In 2023 he won a case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) over a phone hacking claim.
He is also suing Associated Newspapers, owner of the Daily Mail, for alleged unlawful information gathering. ANL denies any wrongdoing.
Harry has also been involved in a long-running legal action against the Home Office over the security arrangements for himself and his family when they are in the UK.
The Sun’s owners have settled a High Court caseGetty Images – Getty Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
