Murdoch Gives Prince Harry Hacking Apology With Major Caveat

Tom Sykes
·6 min read
Rupert Murdoch, Prince Harry
Getty Images

Rupert Murdoch ended a five-year battle with Prince Harry with a dramatic apology Wednesday for illegally intruding into his life for years—and made a “massive” settlement with the British royal to end an explosive court case.

The Fox News tycoon’s British newspaper group issued a “full and unequivocal” apology for the “serious intrusion by The Sun into his private life... including the unlawful gathering” of information about him.

But the apology did not say anything directly about Harry’s explosive allegation that Jeff Bezos’ handpicked Washington Post CEO, Will Lewis, ran an illegal cover-up of Murdoch’s journalists phone-hacking.

Instead the apology called News Group Newspapers’ response “regrettable” and pointedly added, “without any admission of illegality.” The crisis-hit Post boss will be spared being questioned under oath about Harry’s allegations.

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NGN also apologized to Harry for the impact on his relationships and friendships, and agreed to pay substantial damages.

Harry had claimed that private investigators employed by British tabloid The Sun used a wealth of unethical and illegal methods to gather information unlawfully for stories about him.

The resolution came after a hectic day of negotiations on Tuesday between the two sides, with the time difference between California and London slowing matters down as Harry’s side struggled to receive “instructions” from Harry.

Reports Tuesday said the negotiations were triggered after Murdoch’s team made a “massive offer” at the very last minute.

The settlement will likely come as a relief to Lewis, who was put in charge of cleaning up the phone hacking mess for NGN in 2011.

Although Lewis was not named in a statement made on behalf of Harry and Watson after the settlement was announced, he appeared to be in its sights, having been previously accused of playing a pivotal role in a mass deletion of emails.

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The statement said: “What’s even worse is that in the wake of the 2006 arrest of a Royal correspondent, there was an extensive conspiracy to cover up what really had been going on and who knew about it. Senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails, destroying back-up tapes, and making false denials – all in the face of an on-going police investigation. They then repeatedly lied under oath to cover their tracks – both in Court and at the Leveson Public Inquiry.

“Far from being relics of a distant past, many of those behind these unlawful practices remain firmly entrenched in senior positions today, both within News UK and other media outlets across the world, wielding editorial power and perpetuating the toxic culture in which they continue to thrive.”

Harry and Watson called for “the police and Parliament to investigate not only the unlawful activity now finally admitted, but the perjury and cover ups along the way. It’s clear now this has occurred throughout this process, including through sworn evidence in inquiries and court hearings, and in testimony to Parliament, until today’s final collapse of NGN’s defence.”

Will Lewis, the CEO and Publisher of The Washington Post. / Marvin Joseph/Washington Post/Getty Images
Will Lewis, the CEO and Publisher of The Washington Post. / Marvin Joseph/Washington Post/Getty Images

Court papers were due to accuse Lewis of having “instigated and authorized” a cover-up of “endemic” illegality at U.K. tabloid the Sun.

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However, these allegations will now not be tested in court.

In response to Daily Beast reporting last year, Lewis said, “Any allegations of wrongdoing are untrue. I have no further comment to make.”

Trial paperwork published by Byline Times showed that Prince Harry’s team intended to accuse Lewis—who was put in charge of dealing with the phone hacking scandal in 2011—James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks of masterminding a coverup of a regime of unlawful information gathering including the bugging of cars and phones to get stories on Harry and his co-plaintiff, former lawmaker Tom Watson.

The suit also alleged that NGN owner Rupert Murdoch misled a Parliamentary Committee and that a staggering 30 million emails were deleted by NGN to cover up their malfeasance.

Harry is likely to have dropped the case in part out of fear of being hit with an enormous legal bill, even if he won.

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Under U.K. rules, Harry would have risked being lumped with the legal costs if the amount he was awarded had been less than what NGN offered to settle the case.

Rupert Murdoch at Trump’s inauguration on Monday. / JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / POOL/AFP via Getty Images
Rupert Murdoch at Trump’s inauguration on Monday. / JULIA DEMAREE NIKHINSON / POOL/AFP via Getty Images

British lawyer Mark Stephens of Howard Kennedy told the Daily Beast he estimated Harry could have faced an £11 million ($13.4 million) legal bill.

The actor Hugh Grant said in April 2024 that he felt he had to settle with NGN after being advised his liability could run to more than £10 million ($12.2 million), even if he was successful.

In a lengthy thread on X, Grant wrote, “News Group are claiming they are entirely innocent of the things I had accused the Sun of doing — phone hacking, unlawful information gathering, landline tapping, the burglary of my flat and office, the bugging of my car, the illegal blagging of medical records, lies, perjury and the destruction of evidence.

“As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court.

“I don’t want to accept this money or settle. I would love to see all the allegations that they deny tested in court,” he said, ”But the rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides.

“My lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdoch’s lawyers are very expensive. So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10 million in costs. I’m afraid I am shying at that fence.”

Harry had previously talked up his desire to take the battle all the way. In December, during an onstage talk at the New York Times Dealbook summit, Harry said: “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.”

Harry did not make an appearance in court. He had been expected to travel to London in February to give evidence and be cross-examined, a process that could have lasted last two days or more.

This trial had been in the works for years. After settling more than 1,000 claims, there are two men, Prince Harry and Lord Tom Watson, left fighting News Group Newspapers (NGN).

Watson alleged his phone was hacked 15 years ago, around the time he was investigating Murdoch newspapers during the hacking scandal.

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