Prince Harry’s Lawsuit Against British Tabloid Publisher Set to Begin
Prince Harry’s highly anticipated legal battle against a British tabloid publisher over alleged unlawful information gathering is set to commence on Tuesday after years of legal disputes that saw numerous other claimants reach settlements.
The Duke of Sussex has accused private investigators, working on behalf of two tabloids owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN), of illegally targeting him more than a decade ago.
This case is among several legal actions the 40-year-old royal has pursued against UK media companies. In 2023, he secured victory in a phone hacking lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
Scope of the Case
The High Court claim against NGN does not include phone hacking allegations. Judge Timothy Fancourt previously ruled that Harry had exceeded the legal timeframe required to pursue that specific claim.
The only other remaining claimant in the lawsuit is Tom Watson, a former Labour Party deputy leader and current member of the House of Lords.
Both Harry and Watson allege that The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World employed illicit journalistic tactics to generate stories about them. They further claim that NGN executives deliberately erased emails to cover up these practices.
Watson has also asserted that his phone was hacked between 2009 and 2011, during his parliamentary investigation into Murdoch’s media operations.
NGN’s Response and Trial Expectations
NGN has denied all allegations, dismissing the cover-up accusations as “false and unsustainable.”
The trial, expected to last up to 10 weeks, will feature testimony from technologists, legal experts, and senior media executives, as NGN attempts to disprove the claims.
Harry, who stepped away from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to the U.S. with his wife Meghan Markle, has frequently blamed the paparazzi for his mother’s tragic death in 1997. He is set to testify in court, covering a 15-year period from 1996 onward.
In 2023, Harry became the first senior British royal to testify in court in over a century, when he gave evidence against MGN. Judge Fancourt, who presided over that case, ruled in Harry’s favor, confirming that phone hacking was widespread at MGN newspapers in the late 1990s, and that the prince’s phone had been tapped to a limited extent.
Background of the Tabloid Scandal
Allegations of phone hacking and unlawful surveillance by British tabloids first gained attention in the late 2000s, triggering a public inquiry into press ethics in the UK.
NGN admitted to illegal activities at News of the World, leading to the paper’s closure in 2011. However, the publisher has consistently denied wrongdoing at The Sun and rejected claims of a corporate cover-up.
Since then, NGN has reached out-of-court settlements with approximately 1,300 claimants, reportedly paying out around £1 billion ($1.2 billion) in legal expenses and damages.
The Challenge of Taking on a Media Giant
NGN has never faced a trial over these allegations, fueling criticism that England’s legal system favors wealthy defendants, forcing claimants to accept settlements rather than endure costly litigation.
Several high-profile figures, including Prince William and actor Hugh Grant, have previously settled their claims against NGN. Grant, a vocal critic of tabloid practices, revealed that he abandoned a trial because losing could have resulted in legal costs exceeding £10 million.
Under UK litigation rules, if a claimant rejects a settlement and loses in court or receives a lower payout than the offer, they are responsible for covering both parties’ legal expenses.
Harry’s Fight for ‘Accountability’
Despite these financial risks, Harry has remained adamant about pursuing the case. Judge Fancourt previously described the dispute as resembling a “battle between two well-resourced and stubborn opponents.”
Speaking at a New York Times event last month, the prince emphasized that his legal fight is about seeking accountability rather than financial compensation.
Harry has also made his grievances against Rupert Murdoch’s media empire personal. In his 2023 memoir, “Spare,” he referred to the 93-year-old media mogul as “evil”, arguing that Murdoch had caused unparalleled harm to society’s perception of reality.
As the trial unfolds, all eyes will be on whether Harry can succeed in holding one of the most powerful media organizations accountable in court.
No comments:
Post a Comment