Prince Harry settles remaining parts of phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers

Prince Harry settles remaining parts of phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers

WATCH NOW: Duke of Sussex settles remaining parts of phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers

GB News
Dorothy Reddin

By Dorothy Reddin


Published: 09/02/2024

- 12:42

Updated: 09/02/2024

- 13:48

The publisher of the Daily Mirror has been ordered to pay the costs of part of a phone-hacking trial which featured the Duke of Sussex

Prince Harry has settled the remaining parts of his phone hacking claim against Mirror Group Newspapers, GB News understands.

The publisher of the Daily Mirror has been ordered to pay the costs of part of a phone-hacking trial which featured the Duke of Sussex.


In December, a judge ruled that phone hacking was practised “even to some extent” during the Leveson Inquiry into press standards in 2011, before becoming “widespread and habitual” at the Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) titles in the late 1990s.

Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages after Mr Justice Fancourt concluded that his phone was hacked “to a modest extent” by MGN.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages

Getty

The trial also heard “generic” evidence about wider alleged wrongdoing at MGN.

Mr Justice Fancourt today stated that the publisher should pay “generic” legal costs to those currently involved in the legal action.

He said: “On the generic issues, there can be little doubt that the claimants were successful.

“In this unusual case, justice is only done by awarding the claimants their costs of the generic issues.”

Prince Harry

Prince Harry has fought multiple cases through the British courts

PA

The figure of costs is yet to be assessed, but the High Court in London previously heard the group of people who sued the publisher were currently seeking payment of £1,976,660 from MGN.

Harry’s case was heard alongside similar claims brought by actors Michael Turner, Nikki Sanderson, and Fiona Wightman.

The claims brought by Sanderson and Wightman were dismissed by Mr Justice Fancourt because they were made too late.

In today's ruling, Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that Sanderson and Wightman should pay MGN the legal costs of defending their individual claims.

Prince Harry returned to the UK in March for a separate case

Prince Harry's court cases have seen him return to the UK many times

PA
Prince Harry

Prince Harry has settled the remaining parts of his phone hacking claim

Reuters

Harry sued MGN for damages, claiming journalists at the publication used phone hacking, so-called “blagging” or gaining information by deception, and the use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

There are a further 115 articles in his claim after a sample of 33 were examined at the trial last year, which saw Harry enter the witness box, with 15 articles found to have been the product of unlawful information gathering.

An MGN spokesperson said: “We welcomed December’s judgment that gave the business the necessary clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago.

“Where historical wrongdoing took place, we apologise unreservedly, have taken full responsibility and paid compensation.”

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