Prince Harry, in his ongoing quest to reform media practices, declared on Friday that his commitment to holding the press accountable will persist "through to the end." This proclamation followed the acceptance of substantial damages to settle his legal dispute with Mirror Group Newspapers.
Last December, the High Court in London found Prince Harry to be a victim of illicit information gathering, including phone-hacking, by journalists from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror, and Sunday People tabloids, all carried out with the knowledge of their editors. Judge Timothy Fancourt determined that approximately half of the scrutinized stories resulted from unlawful acts, awarding the prince £140,600 ($177,170) in damages.
Notably, the trial only assessed 33 out of 148 articles presented by Harry's legal team. His lawyer, David Sherborne, revealed that Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) has agreed to pay additional substantial damages and cover legal costs, totaling at least £400,000, to settle the outstanding claims.
In a statement, Prince Harry asserted that the settlement vindicated his accusations against the newspapers, emphasizing that the court's judgment revealed the extent of wrongdoing. Fancourt's December ruling uncovered widespread hacking and unlawful activities at MGN from 1996 to 2011, prompting about 100 claimants, including actors and sports stars, to sue the media group.
Sherborne estimated that MGN would likely pay over £2 million to cover the legal costs of all claimants in the generic case, with an interim payment of £400,000 allocated for Prince Harry's individual costs. MGN, now owned by Reach, expressed satisfaction with the agreement and issued an apology for historical wrongdoing.
Since stepping back from royal duties and relocating to California with Meghan Markle in 2020, Prince Harry has made it his mission to challenge senior media executives and editors whom he accuses of abusing their influence. The Mirror case stands as his most significant triumph in this endeavor, with similar lawsuits pending against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, and News Corp.'s British newspaper arm, News Group Newspapers.
Prince Harry, emphasizing his commitment to the cause, stated that the mission initiated in December will persist until its conclusion. He reiterated his call for authorities to uphold the rule of law and singled out former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, demanding accountability for those who were aware of the widespread unlawful behavior.
While Prince Harry was not present for Friday's hearing, his earlier visit to Britain to see his father, King Charles, who was diagnosed with cancer, underscored the personal toll of the ongoing family estrangement. Despite the challenges, Prince Harry remains resolute in his pursuit of media reform from his California base.
0 Comments