In recent developments within Prince Harry’s ongoing legal battle against News Group Newspapers (NGN), allegations have surfaced suggesting that Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloid papers bugged Prince Harry’s landline phones and accessed messages on the pager of his late mother, Princess Diana. The legal proceedings, unfolding in London’s High Court, involve more than 40 individuals suing NGN over accusations of unlawful activities by journalists and private investigators on its tabloids, namely the Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, spanning from the mid-1990s until 2016.
Following a ruling last July by Judge Timothy Fancourt permitting Harry to pursue claims of unlawful information gathering to trial, a recent hearing saw Harry’s legal team seeking to amend his lawsuit in response to this ruling and to introduce additional allegations. These new claims encompass assertions that the Sun commissioned private investigators to target Harry’s then-girlfriend and now wife, Meghan, in 2016, as well as allegations of widespread interception of Harry’s calls, including those made on landline phones.
The legal documents presented in court highlight Harry’s concerns regarding the interception of various forms of communication, such as landline calls, cordless phone calls, analogue mobile calls, and landline voicemails, distinct from the previously addressed issue of phone hacking. Moreover, the lawsuit includes allegations pertaining to Princess Diana, suggesting that she was subject to surveillance and that her calls were unlawfully intercepted by NGN, with knowledge of its editors and senior executives.
NGN has expressed objections to the addition of these new allegations, citing various reasons including their late submission, lack of evidence, and their overlap with previously dismissed phone-hacking claims. NGN’s legal team argues that many of these allegations have been publicized for decades and fall outside the scope of the current pleading.
The legal dispute between Prince Harry and NGN is part of a broader conversation about media ethics and privacy rights, particularly concerning the practices of tabloid journalism. NGN’s previous apology for widespread phone hacking at the News of the World in 2011 and subsequent settlements with claimants are part of the backdrop to these ongoing legal proceedings.
In response to the allegations raised in court, NGN maintains that some claimants are leveraging these lawsuits to attack the tabloid press and that the accusations against its current and former staff are baseless assaults on their integrity.
Prince Harry’s legal battle against NGN underscores his ongoing efforts to confront what he perceives as intrusive and unethical practices by the British press. Since stepping down from royal duties in 2020 and relocating to California, Harry has been actively engaged in challenging media narratives about himself and his family. A recent victory in a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers further highlights his commitment to holding media outlets accountable for their actions.
