Mirror Group Newspapers, a British newspaper publisher, has agreed to pay Prince Harry a substantial amount in costs and damages for invading his privacy through phone hacking and illegal snooping, according to Harry's lawyer, Attorney David Sherborne. As part of the agreement, Mirror Group Newspapers will cover Harry's legal costs and damages, and an interim payment of £400,000 ($505,000) has already been made.
This development follows a December ruling where Harry was awarded £140,000 ($177,000) in damages after a judge found that phone hacking was extensive and habitual at Mirror Group Newspapers during the 1990s. The judge, Timothy Fancourt, also stated that the executives at the company had covered up these activities. While the judge acknowledged that Harry's phone had been hacked to a limited extent, the ruling revealed the widespread nature of this illegal behavior.
Mirror Group Newspapers issued a statement expressing their satisfaction with the agreement, noting that it provides clarity for the company to move forward beyond the events that occurred many years ago. The company also reiterated its apology for the actions that took place.
Harry's case against Mirror Group Newspapers is one among several he has initiated as part of his campaign against the British media. He believes that the media has subjected him, his wife Meghan, and his late mother Princess Diana to continuous scrutiny and intrusion. In a historic move, Harry became the first senior member of the royal family in over a century to testify in court during the trial against the Mirror Group in June.
Although Prince Harry was not present in court for the recent ruling, he had traveled to London from his residence in California to visit his father, King Charles III, who has been diagnosed with cancer. After a brief stay, Harry returned to the United States.
Harry's legal battles are not limited to Mirror Group Newspapers. He still has ongoing cases against the publishers of The Sun and Daily Mail, both of which involve allegations of unlawful snooping. Additionally, he recently dropped a libel case against the publisher of the Daily Mail after a pretrial ruling went against him.
In a High Court hearing, the judge ruled that Mirror Group Newspapers must also pay part of the legal costs for three other claimants whose cases were heard alongside Harry's. The judge emphasized that all the claimants were vindicated by the court's findings regarding the misconduct of Mirror Group, and he attributed the increased legal costs to the company's attempts to hide the truth.
While the judge found in December that the privacy of all four claimants had been violated, cases brought by actor Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, were dismissed due to being filed too late. However, actor Michael Turner's claim partially succeeded.
The resolution of Prince Harry's legal battle against Mirror Group Newspapers marks another step in his mission to hold the British media accountable for its actions. Whether these ongoing cases will bring about significant changes in media practices remains to be seen, but Prince Harry's efforts continue to spark discussions regarding privacy and press freedom.
