What illegal behaviour does Prince Harry claim took place at the Sun and the News of the World?
Harry is claiming that he was the victim for much of his life of phone hacking and other illegal behaviour by journalists working for the Sun and the News of the World. He claims his relationships and friendships were destroyed by press intrusion, with reporters working for Rupert Murdoch’s tabloids illegally hacking his voicemails and hiring private investigators to obtain private information.
He claims these tactics were used to obtain stories about his personal life and relationships with headlines such as “Emotional Harry rang girlfriend at midnight to confess”, “Chelsy’s topless treat for Harry” and “Harry’s mad night of lust”. He outlined at least 101 separate alleged payments made by the Sun to private investigators for information on him and his relationships, as well as stories he says were the result of his phone being hacked.
How is Prince William involved in this?
Prince Harry states his brother, the future king, was secretly paid a “very large sum” of money by News Group Newspapers in 2020 to settle his own phone-hacking claim.
The existence of Prince William’s case has not previously been disclosed to the public and raises questions about any other secret deals between the royals and Murdoch’s company.
What is the ‘secret agreement’ that Harry claims exists between the royals and Murdoch’s company?
Prince Harry says he was told in 2012 that a secret deal had been struck between the royal family and top executives at Murdoch’s news business. Under the supposed deal, the royals agreed to not bring any case until all other phone hacking legal proceedings had finished, at which point they would receive an apology. Harry says royal courtiers agreed this because they feared the media and wanted to keep the family out of court. News Group Newspapers insisted there is no secret agreement. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said it would never comment on an ongoing legal case. Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Did Queen Elizabeth II back Prince Harry’s war on the media?
Harry claims that in 2017 he received the blessing of his grandmother the late Queen Elizabeth II “to pursue a resolution” with Murdoch’s company over phone hacking.
How is the Sun and Rebekah Brooks involved in this?
Rebekah Brooks was the editor of the Sun during much of the time Harry alleges illegal behaviour took place. She was found not guilty of phone hacking at a criminal trial in 2014 and later returned as chief executive of Murdoch’s News UK, where she oversees everything from the Times to TalkTV.
While News UK has accepted phone hacking was widespread at the News of the World, it has always strongly denied any illegal behaviour took place at the Sun. Harry – and many others, including the actor Hugh Grant – claim otherwise.
Why is this only coming to court now?
Harry claims most of the alleged illegal behaviour at the Sun and the News of the World took place in the mid-2000s. However, he says he was unaware of the true extent of the alleged illegal behaviour until very recently, which prompted him to start legal proceedings against Murdoch’s company in 2019.
Since then Harry’s case has been working its way through the court system. Over the past decade Murdoch’s News UK has settled hundreds of similar phone-hacking claims at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds in damages and legal fees.
What is this week’s hearing about?
Murdoch’s company is trying to convince a judge that Harry should not be allowed to take the case to trial, because he waited too long to start legal proceedings.
Individuals have six years after they became aware of potential illegality to start a civil claim. News Group Newspapers, the parent company of the Sun and News of the World, argues that Harry should have suspected he was the victim of phone hacking at an earlier stage.
When did the royals first become involved in phone hacking?
The entire phone-hacking saga became public in 2006 when the News of the World’s royal editor Clive Goodman was arrested and later jailed for illegally accessing the voicemails of royal aides. At the time, Murdoch’s company said Goodman had acted alone. Following investigative reporting by the Guardian, it was revealed that, in reality, phone hacking was widespread at the News of the World and the newspaper was forced to close down in 2011.
What has happened since then?
Hundreds of phone-hacking victims have come forward and News UK has paid out hundreds of millions of pounds in legal fees and financial settlements. The company continues to deny wrongdoing by journalists at the Sun.
Settling the claims means the allegations of illegal behaviour at the Murdoch’s company have not been tested in open court. Some of the phone-hacking victims, including the actor Sienna Miller, have said they wanted to take their cases to trial but could not afford the millions of pounds it would cost.
Harry has emphasised that he is willing to fight this all the way to a public trial.
Isn’t Harry also bringing phone-hacking claims against other media groups?
Harry has three parallel legal cases alleging phone hacking and other illegal behaviour by British newspapers. In addition to the claim against Murdoch’s company, he is bringing a case alleging illegal behaviour by the parent company of the Daily Mail. This is awaiting a ruling by a judge on whether the case should be allowed to proceed to trial.
A separate case against the publisher of the Mirror will go to trial next month.
Is this all of this personal?
Harry – and his wife Meghan – have made no secret of their loathing of the British media. He described Rebekah Brooks as “an infected pustule on the arse of humanity” in his autobiography, Spare, and has indicated he will fight on every legal front. The allegations of illegality, however, are serious.
What happens if Murdoch’s company cannot block Harry’s case at this stage?
A high-profile trial would take place in January 2024.
