Prince Harry just got a lot richer after reaching a last-minute settlement with Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers over allegations that he was spied on by predatory tabloids in a legal battle.
Harry's lawyers issued a statement on Wednesday, just a day after the trial began, saying both parties had reached an agreement.
NGN released its own statement saying: “We acknowledge and apologize for the suffering caused to the Duke and the damage caused to relationships, friendships and family and have agreed to pay him significant damages to pay.”
The company, which referred to Harry in part by his alternative royal title, “Duke of Sussex,” did not provide an exact dollar amount.
NGN also apologized “fully and unequivocally” to Harry for hacking into his mobile phone and interfering in his life, while admitting that one of its tabloids, The Sun, had recruited private investigators to carry out illegal acts.
Additionally, the media organization expressed regret for interfering in the life of the late Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997 while trying to escape the paparazzi in Paris, France.
The agreement appears to be a win-win situation for both sides. NGN has been cleared of weeks of potentially damaging testimony about unscrupulous intelligence gathering practices.
03/27/23
AP
And under British law, Harry would have had to cover all legal costs for both parties if he lost the case.
You may recall… Harry first filed the lawsuit in 2019, explaining that he wasn't interested in money, but rather in holding the company's executives accountable for their misconduct.