Duke of Sussex settles court case with The Sun's publisher | UK News | Sky NewsAfter yesterday’s adjournment saga, it was announced that the claims brought by Prince Harry and Lord Watson against News Group Newspapers (“NGN”) had settled on the payment of “substantial damages”.  The BBC has suggested that the sum paid by NGN for damages and costs was in excess of £10 million.

NGN’s apology to the Claimants is in the following terms:

NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.

NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World.

NGN further apologises to the Duke for the impact on him ofthe extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years. We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages. It is also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN’s response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.

NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to Lord Watson for the unwarranted intrusion carried out into his private life during his time in Government by the News ofthe World during the period 2009-2011 . This includes him being placed undersurveillance in 2009 by journalists at the News of the World and those instructed by them. NGN also acknowledges and apologises for the adverse impact this had on Lord Watson’s family and has agreed to pay him substantial damages.

In addition, in 2011 News International received information that information was being passed covertly to Lord Watson from within News International. We now understand that this information was false, and Lord Watson was not in receipt of any such confidential information. NGN apologises fully and unequivocally for this.

News UK subsequently issued a Statement [pdf] making it clear its apology was for “unlawful activities carried out by private investigators
working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011″.

The Claimants made a public statement, through their barrister, David Sherborne,  which began as follows

“In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted that The Sun, the flagship title for Rupert Murdoch’s UK media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices. This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling, without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them.
After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs (as well as paying-off those in the know) to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law. It has also specifically admitted wrongdoing against Tom Watson, and admitted unlawful acts by The Sun, as well as by the News of the World, against Prince Harry”.
The full statement is available here.
Lord Watson made a separate statement, available on the Hamlins website.
The campaigning group Hacked Off welcomed the settlement in a press release entitled “Victims of Press Abuse Vindicated as The Sun publisher makes humiliating apologies, in settling hacking claim”.