Prince Harry Praised For ‘Bravery And Astonishing Courage’ After Surprise Win In Privacy Lawsuit Against Tabloid

In early 2025, Prince Harry secured an eight-figure settlement, likely exceeding $12 million, after unexpectedly resolving his legal dispute with the publisher of the British tabloid, The Sun. Harry had filed a suit against News Group Newspapers (NGN) at the High Court in London, accusing its newspapers of unlawfully obtaining private information about him from 1996 until 2011. It’s worth noting that Buckingham Palace did not comment on the ruling.



NGN has consistently denied any wrongdoing, but following the settlement, NGN issued a statement saying: “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 statement added: “NGN further apologizes 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.”

The statement continued: “We acknowledge and apologize for the distress caused to the Duke.”

On Jan. 22, 2025, speaking outside the Court in London on behalf of Harry and co-claimant Tom Watson, a former Labour deputy leader, Harry’s lawyer, David Sherborne, highlighted how this legal battle has affected Harry and his family’s lives: “In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted that The Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices.”

Prince Harry (2016), (Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images)

Sherborne continued: “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 is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law.”

He added:

“It has also specifically admitted wrongdoing against Tom Watson, and admitted unlawful acts by The Sun, as well as by the News of the World, against Prince Harry.”

“The truth that has now been exposed is that NGN unlawfully engaged more than 100 private investigators over at least 16 years on more than 35,000 occasions,” the lawyer added.
Sherborne saluted Prince Harry and Watson’s “sheer resilience.” The lawyer added that the law must “run its full course,” saying:

“Prince Harry and Tom Watson join others in calling for the police and Parliament to investigate not only the unlawful activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and cover-ups along the way.”
“Today proves that no one stands above the law. The time for accountability has arrived,” the lawyer stated.
Watson was also outside the court and praised Prince Harry:

“His bravery and astonishing courage has brought accountability to a part of the media world that thought it was untouchable.”

“I am sure I speak on behalf of the thousands of victims when I say we are grateful to him for his unwavering support and his determination under extraordinary pressure,” he continued.
Watson then called on Rupert Murdoch, former owner of News Corp, under which NGN operates, to issue a personal apology to Prince Harry, his father, King Charles III, and the other victims.

NGN later responded to Sherborne’s comments, saying in a statement:
“Today, 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.”

However, no apologies were forthcoming from senior executives named in the suit.

Prince Harry (2023), (James Devaney/GC Images/Getty Images)

We applaud Prince Harry for his resilience in his legal battle. What are your thoughts on the settlement? Let us know, and then pass this along to fellow royal enthusiasts so they can join the discussion!