The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 10: August 2024 -


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OwlBranch said:
Hugh Grant settled his lawsuit. Do we have a right to know what he did with his settlement money?
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I don’t really care what Harry does with the money. What someone else was asking earlier was about the taxes, which I find very interesting as a subject matter. It’s not the question that’s intrusive, it’s an eventual answer which, of course, no one will get.
 
soapstar said:
News of the World gave a full unequivocal apology back in 2006 though, so there has been an apology before. They even donated an undisclosed amount to charities of William and Harry’s choosing.

Harry claimed that journalists at The Sun participated in unlawful behavior and phone hacking, yet the statement NGN put out today denies that. They’re only apologizing for the NOTW hacking in the 90’s and early 2000’s and for the unlawful acts of a private investigator. So NGN’s apology today is basically the same one they gave in 2006.

A month ago, Harry claimed that the main reason he wasn’t settling, was because so many have been forced to settle and he wanted to fight for the 1,300 people that had to settle. He wanted to be their voice, or whatever. That’s why it’s surprising that he settled instead of going to trial.

Harry is definitely getting a nice chunk of money from the settlement, though it looks like it will be less than 10 million. A reporter said the rumored amount of 10 million would be split between Watson and Harry, so they’ll each get 5 million.
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I'm not a lawyer, here is an answer provided by a lawyer on BBC:

In the UK, you can only sue for something that has been denied or not admitted. Since NGN has issued an apology where they admitted to illegal activities, there is no need for a trial since both sides are in agreement that something bad happened.

From a legal point of view, if a person admit that they have, for example, stole a wallet, do you need to go to trial? Probably not. Once someone essentially plea guilty, there is question of punishment, which in this case involves money, not jail.
 
OwlBranch said:
I'm not a lawyer, here is an answer provided by a lawyer on BBC:

In the UK, you can only sue for something that has been denied or not admitted. Since NGN has issued an apology where they admitted to illegal activities, there is no need for a trial since both sides are in agreement that something bad happened.

From a legal point of view, if a person admit that they have, for example, stole a wallet, do you need to go to trial? Probably not. Once someone essentially plea guilty, there is question of punishment, which in this case involves money, not jail.
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Nobody goes to jail in a civil case. And no ilegality was admitted.
 
OwlBranch said:
I'm not a lawyer, here is an answer provided by a lawyer on BBC:

In the UK, you can only sue for something that has been denied or not admitted. Since NGN has issued an apology where they admitted to illegal activities, there is no need for a trial since both sides are in agreement that something bad happened.

From a legal point of view, if a person admit that they have, for example, stole a wallet, do you need to go to trial? Probably not. Once someone essentially plea guilty, there is question of punishment, which in this case involves money, not jail.
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But they already admitted to this back in 2006. Nothing new was exposed. So Harry could have just settled earlier just like everyone else. Like Justice Fancourt said, Harry wasted money and time just to get the outcome he was going to get in April.

Also Harry is the one who said he didn’t want to settle. He wanted to bring it to trial and expose The Sun.
 
Ghost said:
In what capacity does he do this???
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In his capacity as an attention craving pseudo celebrity that believes his delusional opinions matters to people around in the USA, the UK, Colombia, Montecito...and then there's Meghan's need to get travel miles as a Disaster Tourist.

As in, we should all be touched with emotion on how far they have to drive around in pursuit of an event covered by a camera crew.
 
soapstar said:
But they already admitted to this back in 2006. Nothing new was exposed. So Harry could have just settled earlier just like everyone else. Like Justice Fancourt said, Harry wasted money and time just to get the outcome he was going to get in April.

Also Harry is the one who said he didn’t want to settle. He wanted to bring it to trial and expose The Sun.
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Harry wanted a full apology, and he got it, as well as a financial settlement.

The Sun want mentioned in the short 2006 apology. But now

NGN's APOLOGY TO THE CLAIMANTS NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities


And one might very well ask, as I’m going to, why this newspaper group was so very anxious to settle before the long trial. Could they perhaps have not wished for things to come out which would make them look less than creditable in the eyes of the public.

I can’t believe that anybody could be sticking up for these vile newspapers.

As for the settlement sum apparently a very good source earlier intimated to Reuters that Harry himself has been offered ten million, not a split with anyone else.
 
Yes, I read the situation as being Harry got nothing new, NGN got out of having another court case dragging up bad practice and affecting its company valuation. I suspect the "last minute" nature of the settlement was to bump up the settlement amount enough. Harry never made it to the UK so it was likely clear before the weekend that settlement was the most likely outcome - 10.5hr flight to London plus a day to prepare with legal teams etc suggests to me he would have had to have left California by Saturday.
No wonder the judge was cross.
I suspect Harry will be paying a lot of the settlement fee to lawyers, though I am sure he will be happy to know that for once he got something more than William - whose payout years ago was likely much smaller (even if it cost him much less)
 
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I'm glad Harry won for his sake and I hope he feels vindicated now. May this be the start of a healing process for him, one I feel he desperately needs. He's stuck, like a lot of trauma survivors, at the time of the incident/s and needs to be able to find some closure to move on. The constant angst and anger will eat him up if he can't let it go.
 
I’d just like to note here that it isn’t Harry who has offered full and grovelling apologies to NGN but the other way round. This suggests to me that this company was nervous that things might escape into the light of day in a court battle which might well make them look more repulsive in their behaviour and methods than they already have been countless times.

And without that grovelling by the newspaper group I do not believe that Harry would have settled.
 
The fact that Harry didn’t leave California might be an indication that he was decided to accept a settlement. I remember that there was information about being offered a place to stay at BP that he refused, limited police protection and what not. And yet he went to visit firefighters instead.
 
Curryong said:
Harry wanted a full apology, and he got it, as well as a financial settlement.

The Sun want mentioned in the short 2006 apology. But now

NGN's APOLOGY TO THE CLAIMANTS NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities


And one might very well ask, as I’m going to, why this newspaper group was so very anxious to settle before the long trial. Could they perhaps have not wished for things to come out which would make them look less than creditable in the eyes of the public.

I can’t believe that anybody could be sticking up for these vile newspapers.

As for the settlement sum apparently a very good source earlier intimated to Reuters that Harry himself has been offered ten million, not a split with anyone else.
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The Sun claimed from the beginning that they didn’t know private investigators were using unlawful tactics. Harry was trying to prove they were lying and that journalists (and higher ups) at The Sun, knew what private investigators were doing.

In their statement, The Sun apologized for the tactics of private investigators, but are continuing to maintain their journalists and higher ups knew nothing. Here is part of their statement:

It has long been a matter of record that the Duke of Sussex’s phone was hacked by the News of the World. Two people served criminal sentences for this in 2006 and an apology was given. Today a full and unequivocal apology is given to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News of the World. Phone hacking at the News of the World was not due to be a part of this trial but it is a part of this settlement.

In the 1990’s and early 2000’s there was widespread use by the broadcast and news media of private investigators. In most cases, their use was for public interest journalism and to obtain information necessary for the purposes of journalism.

Today, our apology to the Duke of Sussex includes an apology for incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun, not by journalists, during the period 1996-2011.

There are strong controls and processes in place at all our titles today to ensure this cannot happen now. There was no voicemail interception on The Sun.
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That’s why I’m saying there is nothing new about their apology.

And who is sticking up for the tabloids? I’m not in any way shape, or form sticking up for them. What they did to William, Kate, Harry and all the others claimants is vile and they deserve to pay for it. I can believe the tabloids are trash, while also believing that Harry should have handled things a little differently.

Harry could have easily settled this at the beginning. He didn’t need to drag his brother’s settlement, or make grand proclamations about slaying dragons and doing it for the people. All he had to do is say he wanted to make the tabloids pay and everyone would understand.
 
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soapstar said:
The Sun claimed from the beginning that they didn’t know private investigators were using unlawful tactics. Harry was trying to prove they were lying and that journalists (and higher ups) at The Sun, knew what private investigators were doing.

In their statement, The Sun apologized for the tactics of private investigators, but are continuing to maintain their journalists and higher ups knew nothing. Here is part of their statement:


That’s why I’m saying there is nothing new about their apology.

And who is sticking up for the tabloids? I’m not in any way shape, or form sticking up for them. What they did to William, Kate, Harry and all the others claimants is vile and they deserve to pay for it. I can believe the tabloids are trash, while also believing that Harry should have handled things a little differently.

Harry could have easily settled this at the beginning. He didn’t need to drag his brother’s settlement, or make grand proclamations about slaying dragons and doing it for the people. All he had to do is say he wanted to make the tabloids pay and everyone would understand.
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Thank you for saying this soapstar. Harry could have quietly settled this years ago.
 
www.standard.co.uk

Prince Harry's stunning victory has humiliated The Sun and exposed our justice system

Prince Harry is a Marmite figure. That much is clear by now. For some he is a hero, the scourge of tabloids and positive voice on mental health. For others, he is to be derided as either a tragic Prince or the Royal who deserted his family.
www.standard.co.uk www.standard.co.uk

From the Standard newspaper. ‘Today is Harry’s day’ the Standard journalist states.

‘Wherever you stand, it is unarguable that today is Harry’s day. A stunning victory in the High Court over Rupert Murdoch, a grovelling apology, and the first ever admission of unlawful wrongdoing at The Sun.’
 
soapstar said:
He didn’t need to drag his brother’s settlement, or make grand proclamations about slaying dragons and doing it for the people. All he had to do is say he wanted to make the tabloids pay and everyone would understand.
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Perhaps Harry doesn’t know how to do that, though. (And has no one to reframe it for him.)

And honestly, would saying it was legal vengeance really have won him more sympathy? We would have all talked here about how it was vindictive and probably unnecessary anyway.
 
UK Tonight with Matt Barbet on Sky News will look at Prince Harry's indictment of the tabloids.

 
I think he did the right thing by settling , but he did back down. The spin is that he is the winner, but at the end of the day he didn’t get what he said he wanted .
I do wonder if neither side were totally 110% confident in what they had to put in front of the court. If Harry was as confident as he claimed to be why did he not keep going.
 
Toledo said:
I have questions :unsure:
I'm not clear in the settlement amount in regard to taxes:
  1. From whatever amount he gets, will he pay taxes in the UK and the USA? :oops:

  2. Since Meghan is married to him and rejected to be a UK citizen, in California I recall his win is common property. Would she pay the USA taxes for income within the marriage? :cautious:

  3. And the big question on the money, would it be 'donated' to Archwell to make it a tax-exempt charity 'donation' they will have access to? Because if the later is done, isn't that called money laundering? :whistling:
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Damages aren't usually taxable in the UK, unless they're specifically related to business. In this case, damages are being paid for emotional distress etc, rather than in lieu of lost trading income or to replace an item that was destroyed, so it's very unlikely that they'll be taxable.
 
I find this BBC article fairly even-handed and without the histrionics.

www.bbc.co.uk

Prince Harry: Sun publisher to pay 'substantial' damages in settlement

News Group Newspapers offers an "unequivocal apology" to the Duke of Sussex for "serious intrusion".
www.bbc.co.uk

Some extracts:

The BBC understands the settlements to both Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson have cost NGN more than £10m in pay outs and legal fees...

He repeatedly said he wanted the case to go to trial so that he could get "accountability" for other alleged victims of unlawful newsgathering.

NGN was "surprised by the serious approach by Prince Harry for settlement in recent days", a source told the BBC...

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it was "a significant day and a big relief" for the two claimants.

She told The World At One she did not believe a second-stage Leveson inquiry into press practices was "fit for purpose", but said families from the Hacked Off campaign group were preparing a "thorough briefing" about the changes they believe are required.

She said the government had to work with the families and the media to make sure "we strike that right balance and we protect a free and fair press"...

Last year he said the tabloid press had been "central" to the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of the Royal Family...

Firstly, does this mean the £10m covers damages for both Harry and Watson as well as their legal fees? Doesn't feel substantial in that scenario.

Definitely a relief for the two claimants but a significant climbdown for Harry after insisting he wanted accountability (not settlement) and this was his life's work.

I imagine he'll need to find another life's work since he's decided this particular line of work maybe a tad too expensive.

I suppose a key lesson for him is to make less grandiose claims about quite ordinary and mundane activities he engages in. He says so much and achieves so little in comparison, in my view. Less talk, more doing.

The sad bit about this is that once this becomes yesterdays's news (before the weekend is over), as he sits in his home still estranged from his family, he'll come to realise (or not) that he's contributed significantly more than the tabloid press to the breakdown of his relationship with his family and that will remain no matter how much money or many apologies he receives. He must assume responsibility for what he has broken for his own peace.

I'm in the camp that believe the relationship is irreparable and both camps should permanently stay in their lanes. However, accepting his role in the breaking will help him move on with his life and forge his own future without reference to the family.
 
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Rupert Murdoch's "news" organizations have been costing him an awful lot of $$ in recent years haven't they?🤔

Congratulations Harry. Good job!👍
 
Interesting to see the commentary/analysis style pieces on the settlement after the initial furore

Telegraph
archive.is

Harry climbs down after vowing to never give up anti-media crusade

archived 22 Jan 2025 13:26:59 UTC
archive.is archive.is
The Duke of Sussex put everything on the line to take on Rupert Murdoch’s media empire: his relationships with his family, his reputation and his own, post-royal career.
However it may have been presented, his acceptance of a hefty, eight-figure financial settlement from the publisher of The Sun will be considered by many as a humiliating climbdown.
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Guardian comment
www.theguardian.com

Lengthy legal fight lands blow on Sun’s publisher but shows even princes have to settle

Duke of Sussex and Tom Watson hail ‘monumental victory’ after securing agreement with News Group Newspapers
www.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com
For Prince Harry it was a “monumental victory”; for publishers of the Sun it was an outcome “in the interest of all parties”. Regardless of either side’s take in the war of words that played out on Wednesday, it is clear that the settlement reached between Prince Harry and the Murdoch-owned News Group Newspapers (NGN) is a significant moment in the history of the British media.
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BBC analysis
www.bbc.co.uk

Has Prince Harry really won his tabloid battle?

The settlement between the prince and the Sun's publisher is a dramatic, high stakes, turnaround.
www.bbc.co.uk
The settlement between Prince Harry and News Group Newspapers is a dramatic, high stakes, turnaround. But it's courtroom drama without the court.

Prince Harry's team hailed the deal that stopped the trial as a "monumental victory", receiving an undisclosed amount of "substantial damages" and an "unequivocal apology".

They say he's been vindicated - but will there also, deep down, be some mixed feelings about not getting his day in court? Was this really "slaying dragons" of the tabloid press, as he'd celebrated after a previous win when he'd given evidence in court against Mirror Group Newspapers?
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tommy100 said:
Yes, I read the situation as being Harry got nothing new, NGN got out of having another court case dragging up bad practice and affecting its company valuation. I suspect the "last minute" nature of the settlement was to bump up the settlement amount enough. Harry never made it to the UK so it was likely clear before the weekend that settlement was the most likely outcome - 10.5hr flight to London plus a day to prepare with legal teams etc suggests to me he would have had to have left California by Saturday.
No wonder the judge was cross.
I suspect Harry will be paying a lot of the settlement fee to lawyers, though I am sure he will be happy to know that for once he got something more than William - whose payout years ago was likely much smaller (even if it cost him much less)
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I doubt settling for less than Harry is something that will keep William awake at night.

There is always the perennial discussion on what exactly is private wealth or held in trust by the Crown, or whether that distinction is even actually meaningful or not in practice, but, whatever one's opinions on those topics is, most people probably agree that, unlike Harry, who has a very expensive private lifestyle to keep, William is guaranteed to never be in need of money.

What I am saying, I guess, is that, moral/personal vindication aside, 10 million are actually meaningful to Harry and Meghan and the settlement sum matters to them; it is not merely symbolic.
 
Oh I don't think William could care less, Harry on the other hand...

I doubt at the end of it they'll get £10million - the settlement has probably factored in the legal costs Harry has incurred which will be 7 figures themselves.
 
Hope this closes the chapter on Harry's UK courts drama...until he decides to press on that police escort issue again. He needs to let things go and move on to a different type of obsession, like a job, that doesn't include self-victimization and bringing up Princess Di associations.
 
There might be circumstances on both sides that led to a ceasefire.

Rupert Murdoch has his heirs all in a kerfuffle about who gets what. Rupe needs some simplicity. Putting Harry in the rear-view mirror is good for them.

Then you have Harry's wife, who is beaten up daily in the press. Harry may have been coaxed into settling because his wife is getting very bad press and may be very unhappy. Maybe he felt like he couldn't leave her to go to the UK. She has spoken previously about her low state of mind and, from what I have seen in the press, holy crap. Idi Amin got better coverage.
 
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Really?? Meghan seems absolutely fine to me, and Harry has been on plenty of solo trips recently. Harry settled because it made financial sense to do so, just as everyone else involved in cases against NGN has done.
 
Alison H said:
Really?? Meghan seems absolutely fine to me, and Harry has been on plenty of solo trips recently. Harry settled because it made financial sense to do so, just as everyone else involved in cases against NGN has done.
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Absolutely. Despite all the fighting talk last week...

“They have settled because they’ve had to settle,” Prince Harry told the New York Times before Christmas. “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.”

...every dragon slayer has his price ;)

Leopoldine said:
...
Then you have Harry's wife, who is beaten up daily in the press. Harry may have been coaxed into settling because his wife is getting very bad press and may be very unhappy. Maybe he felt like he couldn't leave her to go to the UK. She has spoken previously about her low state of mind and, from what I have seen in the press, holy crap. Idi Amin got better coverage.
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Hmm. Both she and PH were happy enough to relentlessly and publicly "beat up" the BRF in front of the biggest crowd imaginable and by any means available; did they ever consider the emotional damage that would cause? And because the BRF couldn't answer back, they thought they would get away with it.

I'm afraid it's a case of what goes around, comes around. Play mean games, win mean prizes.
 
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