Prince Harry’s protracted legal battle against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) has entered a pivotal stage, with an eight-week trial commencing at the High Court in London.
The Duke of Sussex accuses senior figures at NGN of orchestrating a cover-up of unlawful practices at “The Sun” and the now-defunct “News of the World.” The alleged misconduct, including phone hacking and other illicit information-gathering methods, reportedly occurred between 1996 and 2011.
Joining Harry in the case is former senior lawmaker Tom Watson. While many claimants previously settled their lawsuits against NGN to avoid potential financial setbacks, Harry remains resolute in pursuing accountability. “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that,” Harry remarked last month. He is slated to testify in February.
NGN has already paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to resolve over 1,300 claims from individuals whose personal data was unlawfully accessed. Among them was Harry’s elder brother, Prince William, who reportedly settled his own phone-hacking case against NGN in 2020 for what Harry’s legal team described as “a very large sum of money.”
The trial seeks to uncover the full scope of illegal activities at NGN’s publications and determine whether senior executives and editors actively covered up wrongdoing. Harry’s legal team alleges that NGN misled police, falsified statements during a 2011-2012 public inquiry into media ethics, and destroyed evidence—including millions of emails—to conceal unlawful conduct.
A spokesperson for NGN has denied the allegations, describing them as “wrong, unsustainable, and strongly denied.” The publisher maintains that no illegal activity occurred at “The Sun” and plans a robust defence featuring testimony from technologists, lawyers, and senior staff.
Prominent figures expected to testify include former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, actors Hugh Grant and Sienna Miller, singer Lily Allen, and Heather Mills, the ex-wife of Paul McCartney. The trial’s proceedings will examine critical questions about press ethics and the accountability of powerful media organisations.
Prince Harry, framing his lawsuit as a quest for truth rather than financial reparation, aims to expose unethical practices within the British press. His legal action underscores his determination to hold influential entities to account and shines a spotlight on the boundaries of press conduct and the repercussions for breaches of public trust. Photo by Monika Flueckiger, World Economic Forum, Wikimedia commons.