Prince Harry, a figure as divisive as Marmite, has today achieved a remarkable victory that has not only humiliated Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) but also exposed significant flaws within Britain’s justice system. For some, Harry remains a hero—an advocate for mental health and a fierce critic of the tabloids. For others, he is seen as a royal who abandoned his family. Regardless of one’s stance on the Duke of Sussex, today undeniably belongs to him.
In an unprecedented legal triumph, Harry secured a stunning victory in the High Court over Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. This led to a grovelling apology from The Sun, coupled with the first-ever admission of unlawful wrongdoing from the paper. The apology itself, a strikingly honest single-page document, shattered years of denials from NGN, effectively putting to bed claims that The Sun had always adhered to lawful practices in its journalistic pursuits.
The tabloid’s transgressions involved the use of private investigators to dig up dirt on their targets, often employing illegal methods to gather sensitive information. Most notably, Harry’s legal battle provided a degree of justice for his late mother, Princess Diana. An apology was issued for the intrusive media coverage she suffered in her final years, marking an emotional and significant moment in Harry’s ongoing campaign for justice. The apology further extended to Lord Tom Watson, whose privacy had been breached by News of the World between 2009 and 2011 while he was investigating wrongdoing at the tabloid.
While this legal outcome was an undeniable victory for Harry, there are some who may feel that the full truth was never fully aired in public. The court case, which could have involved an explosive trial exposing senior figures like Rebekah Brooks and Will Lewis, was avoided. The result: ten weeks of courtroom drama and revelations that could have permanently damaged the reputation of NGN and the Murdoch empire. Murdoch himself was poised to face accusations that he had “turned a blind eye” to phone hacking within his empire.
Nonetheless, in the wake of Harry’s victory, his critics may attempt to discredit the win, claiming it was incomplete or failed to truly hold the tabloids to account. The media will no doubt continue their scrutiny of Harry’s life in California. But the truth is that, through his relentless pursuit of justice, the narrative surrounding 15 years of wrongdoing at one of Britain’s most powerful newspapers has been irrevocably changed.
Since the phone-hacking scandal first emerged in 2011, over 1,300 civil claims have been filed against NGN. While phone hacking at the now-defunct News of the World has been widely accepted as fact, unlawful practices at The Sun were long denied by the company. Multiple claims were settled over the years, often for substantial sums, but these settlements included the typical, predictable statement: “No admission of liability in relation to The Sun.” Harry’s relentless pursuit in the courts has altered this narrative forever.
The apology, which finally recognises the unlawful actions of The Sun, punctures the false narrative once propagated by former editor Rebekah Brooks. In 2014, Brooks claimed she ran a “clean ship” at The Sun, yet the High Court record now shows otherwise. Whether she was aware of the illicit practices or not, the paper’s conduct cannot be denied any longer.
Prince Harry’s case remains significant for one key reason: it involved an individual who had been targeted by the press from the age of 12. His mother, Princess Diana, endured intrusive media attention during her final years, and Harry’s legal success has earned him a measure of vindication for her. As a prominent member of the royal family, Harry was subjected to constant surveillance, his every move a potential scoop for the tabloids. As we now know, unlawful means were often employed in pursuit of the next headline.
However, there is also the question of how Britain’s justice system operates in such cases. The civil litigation filed against NGN over the years has often been met with settlements, sometimes in exchange for an apology, but without the full admission of liability that many claimants sought. The legal system, it seems, inadvertently favours the rich and powerful media companies, who can settle for eye-watering sums to avoid prolonged court battles.
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One of the most troubling aspects of this process is the risk faced by claimants who push for a full trial, only to face the possibility of being forced to pay the entire cost of the trial if they fail to win a significant amount in damages. This potential financial ruin often leads individuals to settle for smaller sums, without the satisfaction of a full admission of guilt from the defendant.
Harry, however, had the resources and determination to see his case through, something that few others in his position could afford to do. His relentless pursuit of justice has forced NGN into a humiliating public apology, exposing the true nature of the paper’s operations. It is this combination of resources and resolve that ultimately secured this remarkable legal victory.
As the dust settles on this victory, it raises the question of whether the justice system is truly capable of delivering the truth, especially when it comes to powerful institutions. The case highlights how the rich and influential can still bend the rules to avoid true accountability. In Harry’s case, however, he stood as one of the few who had the means to take on the media giants—and ultimately, he prevailed.
