Prince Harry’s Murdoch Press Trial in Chaos Over ‘Massive Offer’

Prince Harry’s privacy trial against Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid The Sun has been thrown into doubt after a reported eleventh hour offer to settle.

The Duke of Sussex and former U.K. lawmaker Tom Watson are suing the newspaper’s publisher, News Group Newspapers (NGN), on allegations journalists broke the law to get stories.

The trial was due to start at 10:30 a.m. U.K. time but rumors started to flitter through the press after an unexpected one hour delay.

When the legal teams returned to court they asked for even more time to seek an “outcome” to the case.

It came as NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik reported on X, formerly Twitter, that a new offer to settle had been made, posting: “There has been a massive offer from Murdoch’s camp to resolve the hacking suits from Prince Harry and former MP Tom Watson, according to a person with knowledge.”

Newsweek has reached out to NGN for comment.

Why It Matters

Prince Harry’s lawsuit was filed almost six years ago at the end of September 2019 and is a grudge match for the duke.

He has sought to drag big names from the world of British tabloid journalism into the case and blames journalists for the collapse of his past relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy as well as for heaping pressure on his marriage to Meghan Markle.

If he pulled out so close to the start of the trial it would be received as a major capitulation—even though he would likely be better off financially for doing so.

If he pushes ahead and wins but damages awarded are below the level of NGN’s settlement offer then he will have to pay costs, which will also likely far outstrip his payout.

It all makes for a high stakes decision from the prince on a subject that is close to his heart given that he blames the tabloids for the death of his mother, Princess Diana.

What to Know

Judge Timothy Fancourt told the High Court in London they had until 2 p.m. to pursue discussions, saying: “I am a little concerned about the timetable overall. On the other hand an hour or two in the context of eight weeks is not significant.

“If the parties can assure me that time will be beneficial and will produce some outcome, then I am willing to provide some further time.”

However, he warned them the next round of out-of-court talks may be make or break: “I think that will be the last adjournment.”

What People Are Saying

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik: “There has been a massive offer from Murdoch’s camp to resolve the hacking suits from Prince Harry and former MP Tom Watson, according to a person with knowledge.

Judge Timothy Fancourt: “If the parties can assure me that time will be beneficial and will produce some outcome, then I am willing to provide some further time.”

Prince Harry wrote in a March 2023 witness statement: “When I think about the fact that senior executives at NGN not only knew about and condoned phone hacking as a practice at both the News of the World and The Sun, but also actively
sought to cover it up by the deliberate concealment and destruction of evidence on an industrial scale, my immediate thoughts are that this makes them criminals, not journalists, and the Fourth Estate is too important and rightly powerful to have criminals masquerading as journalists running the show.

“They have lied under oath, perjured themselves in the process and have proven they’re above the law. Everyone seems to be scared of them, especially politicians.
These criminal practices go right to the very top, and without accountability, change and justice, what does that signal to the public who are mostly unaware of the scale and damage caused due to the never ending cycle of out of Court settlements in this litigation?”

What Happens Next

The legal teams have until 2 p.m. in the UK, or 6 a.m. in California, to thrash out a deal otherwise the trial will start after the court’s normal break for lunch.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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