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Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch's UK tabloids made a rare apology to Prince Harry in settling his privacy invasion lawsuit and will pay him a substantial sum, his lawyer said Wednesday. Harry's lawyer David Sherborne read a statement in court saying News Group offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for years of unlawful intrusion. The bombshell announcement in London's High Court as the Duke of Sussex's trial was about to start against the publishers of The Sun and now-defunct News of the World for unlawfully snooping on him over decades. Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, and one other man were the only two remaining claimants out of more than 1,300 others who had settled lawsuits against News Group Newspapers over allegations their phones were hacked and investigators unlawfully intruded in their lives. In all the cases that have been brought against the publisher since a widespread phone hacking scandal forced Murdoch to close News of the World in 2011, Harry's
Rupert Murdoch and four of his children on Monday went before a Nevada probate commissioner behind closed doors to an evidentiary hearing that could decide who controls Murdoch's media empire after his death. The hearing scheduled to resume Tuesday and continue into next week comes after Murdoch, 93, moved last year to change the terms of his irrevocable family trust. The New York Times reported, based on a sealed Washoe County court document, that it was part of a bid to ensure that his eldest son, Lachlan, remains in charge of his cadre of newspapers and television networks, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News Channel. The court has kept the hearings closed to the public and most documents sealed, largely rejecting requests for access by news organizations including The Associated Press. The trust was originally set up to give equal control over Rupert Murdoch's businesses to his four oldest children upon his death, according to the Times. Murdoch stepped down as lead
Prince Harry's lawyer levelled explosive new allegations Wednesday that Rupert Murdoch was aware of cover-ups at his British tabloids that used unlawful techniques to spy on the Duke of Sussex and others. Attorney David Sherborne said Murdoch was among the executives who were aware that public statements made about phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering at News Group Newspapers were untrue. Harry and other claimants, including actor Hugh Grant, sought during the first of a three-day hearing in the High Court to amend their lawsuit against the publisher to include allegations that there was an effort to conceal and destroy evidence. It is inferred that they would not have been carrying out this extensive concealment and destruction strategy without the knowledge and approval of Rupert Murdoch, Sherborne said in a court filing. Defence lawyer Anthony Hudson said the proposed changes to the case were unnecessary and seemed aimed at campaigning against the tabloid press
Britain's Prince William settled a phone-hacking claim against media mogul Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper group for a very large sum in 2020, according to court documents submitted for a hearing in London on Tuesday. The 40-year-old Prince of Wales was reportedly part of a secret agreement struck by the royal family, which News Group Newspapers (NGN) has denied. The agreement emerged as William's younger brother, Prince Harry, is fighting NGN's claim that he has run out of time to bring his High Court claim in London as the case opened for a three-day hearing this week. The 38-year-old Duke of Sussex is suing NGN, publisher of The Sun' and the now-defunct News Of The World' newspapers, over alleged unlawful information gathering at its titles. According to The Daily Telegraph', NGN is asking Justice Timothy Fancourt to throw out the claim, arguing it has been brought too late. "HRH William, Prince of Wales, similarly brought a claim against NGN which it settled for a very large sum