LONDON, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Prince Harry is pushing forward with his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators, despite numerous other plaintiffs reaching settlements, his lawyer said on Friday.
Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles, is suing the publisher of the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World at the High Court in London. He alleges that NGN unlawfully obtained private information about him from 1996 to 2011. His case is one of about 40 lawsuits against NGN, but all except one other litigant – Tom Watson, the former deputy leader of Britain’s Labour Party – have settled, according to Harry’s lawyer David Sherborne.
Among those who have agreed to settle are Spice Girl Melanie Brown, former BBC executive Alan Yentob, “Game of Thrones” actor Alfie Allen, and Ted Beckham, the father of former England soccer captain David Beckham. The trial is scheduled to begin in January, although Sherborne previously indicated that claimants might be compelled to settle to avoid substantial legal fees, even if they win at trial. He made these remarks following British actor Hugh Grant’s reluctant settlement of his case in April.
NGN has paid out hundreds of millions of pounds to victims of phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering by the News of the World. The publisher has settled claims brought by more than 1,300 celebrities, politicians, prominent sports figures, and ordinary individuals connected to them or significant events.
Harry’s legal team previously revealed that his older brother, Prince William, settled a case against NGN in 2020. The publisher has consistently denied any wrongdoing by staff at the Sun, although it has paid damages to settle claims involving allegations against the tabloid’s journalists.
