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Prince Harry at high court in June 2023© Getty

Prince Harry says 'mission continues' as he settles high court claim against newspaper publisher

The Duke of Sussex's further claims will not go to trial

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
Updated: February 9, 2024
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The Duke of Sussex has settled the remaining parts of his phone hacking claim against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, the High Court heard on Friday.

Harry, 39, sued Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) for damages, claiming journalists at its publications were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called "blagging" – gaining information by deception – and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

In December, the Duke was awarded £140,600 in damages after Mr Justice Fancourt concluded there was "extensive" phone hacking generally by MGN from 2006 to 2011, "even to some extent" during the Leveson Inquiry into media standards.

Thirty-three articles in Harry's claim were examined during the trial last year, with 15 articles found to have been the product of unlawful information gathering.

A further 115 articles were in his claim, which may have been the subject of a further trial.

However, during the hearing in London on Friday, his barrister David Sherborne confirmed a settlement had been reached between Harry and MGN.

He said: "MGN will pay the Duke of Sussex a substantial additional sum by way of damages and all the costs of his claim."

The barrister said this included an interim payment towards the costs of £400,000.

Harry's barrister David Sherborne reads statement on behalf of the Duke outside court on Friday© Getty
Harry's barrister David Sherborne reads statement on behalf of the Duke outside court on Friday

Speaking outside the High Court, Mr Sherborne read a statement from the Duke: "After our victory in December, Mirror Group have finally conceded the rest of my claim which would have consisted of another two trials, additional evidence, and 115 more articles.

"Everything we said was happening at Mirror Group was in fact happening, and indeed, far worse, as the court ruled in an extremely damaging judgment.

"As the judge has said only this morning, we have uncovered and proved the shockingly dishonest way in which the Mirror acted for so many years, and then sought to conceal the truth."

Prince Harry waves outside court© Getty
Prince Harry gave evidence in the phone hacking trial last June

An MGN spokesperson said: "We are pleased to have reached this agreement, which gives our business further clarity to move forward from events that took place many years ago and for which we have apologised."

See Harry's lawyer read his statement in full outside court in the clip below...

WATCH: Harry's lawyer reads statement as Duke settles claim

The news comes after Harry appeared at the NFL Honours in Las Vegas to present an award on Thursday night.

His outing came after he flew to London to reunite with his father Charles at Clarence House on Tuesday following the news of the King's cancer diagnosis.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are due to fly to Canada next week for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025's One Year to Go celebrations.

LISTEN: A Right Royal Podcast: King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis

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