The Sun newspaper has agreed to pay a lot of money and has apologized to Prince Harry. This is to settle a long fight over serious violations of his private life. Harry accused the newspaper and its private investigators of using illegal methods, like tapping his phone and bugging his car, to gather personal information about him. He even claimed there was a cover-up by higher-ups at the newspaper.
News Group Newspapers (NGN), which owns The Sun, admitted to “serious intrusion” into Harry’s private life between 1996 and 2011. They also acknowledged that some private investigators acted illegally, as revealed in court documents. The company apologized for causing Harry distress through their “extensive coverage” and “serious intrusion” regarding his late mother, Princess Diana.
Harry was only 12 years old when his mother died in a car crash in Paris, while being chased by paparazzi. He has often said that tabloid newspapers affected her death. Last year, he even stated that these tabloids pushed him away from his royal family.
In a similar case, Harry also settled a fight with Mirror Group Newspapers, which admitted to illegally obtaining private details between 1996 and 2010. So far, the settlements with Prince Harry and Lord Tom Watson have cost NGN more than £10 million in payments and legal fees.
Overall, over the years, the publisher has spent over £1 billion in payouts due to claims of phone tapping and privacy violations by the News of the World and The Sun. Harry claims that more than 200 articles published by NGN between 1996 and 2011 included information taken illegally. He wanted the case to go to a trial to bring justice to other victims of these unlawful actions.
According to a BBC source, NGN was surprised by Harry’s serious desire to settle recently. Harry commented that the apology “gives you all the insight you need.” His lawyer, David Sherborne, called the settlement a “monumental victory,” stating NGN had finally faced consequences for its illegal actions.
Leave a Reply