The royal family will be 'grateful' over Prince Harry's court settlement as duke marks 'monumental win'
The Duke of Sussex received an apology from NGNPrince Harry reached a settlement in his court case against the publisher of The Sun today.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, launched a lawsuit, alleging journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) used unlawful methods to get information on his private life. He also alleged executives had covered it up.
A trial was set to begin at the High Court this week. However, on Wednesday (January 22), all parties including Harry reached an agreement.
NGN issued an apology to the prince for “serious intrusion” by The Sun between 1996 and 2011.
Now, a royal commentator has said the royal family will feel “grateful” over Harry’s “monumental win”.
Prince Harry marks ‘monumental win’ with court settlement
Sharing his view on the legal outcome, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Royal Insider: “There is no doubt that Harry will see this as a ‘monumental win’ over NGN. There is an unequivocal apology for unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun which it admitted have taken place.
“There is an apology for the intrusion into his private life and that of Diana’s. We know how deeply he feels about this.
“There is however no admission of unlawful activities by journalists at The Sun. Nor have Harry’s claims of such activities being carried out with the knowledge of editors and executives been tested.”
Royal family will feel ‘grateful’ over Harry’s court outcome
Richard went on to share his thoughts on how the royals may feel towards the outcome.
He added: “I suspect the royal family will be grateful that this case is settled. It’s clear, however, as far as he is concerned, that this is an ongoing campaign.”
NGN issued an apology to Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson. He had also taken legal action.
We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the duke.
Part of its statement read: “NGN further apologises 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 apologise for the distress caused to the duke. And the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages.”
Meanwhile, a statement on behalf of Harry said: “Today’s result has been achieved only through the sheer resilience of Prince Harry and Lord Watson, whose willingness to take NGN to trial has led directly to this historic admission of unlawfulness at The Sun.
“As a direct result of him taking a stand, Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago. This has created serious concerns for the security of him and his family.”
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