Prince Harry is currently engaged in settlement negotiations with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers over disputed illegal data gathering inquiries, just before the start of the High Court trial. Once intent on proceeding, he joins the ranks of other claimants like Lord Tom Watson in negotiating. A settlement would avoid laying bare claims of conspiracy at Murdoch’s The Sun.
Without a settlement, the legal fees could become huge even if the claimants win their cases, especially if the damages are much lower than what settlement amounts were being proposed. Key figures set to testify are Harry and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. While News Group did apologize for past illegal acts perpetrated by its News of the World title, it denies allegations of similar conduct by its flagship title The Sun, although Harry has claimed that the stories in this title were gleaned from illegal sources.
The outcome of those talks could have tremendous implications towards the practices used by the media and privacy rights, possibly setting a pattern for such cases to follow in acting against media houses. The case had drawn widespread publicity, showing an ongoing concern about press ethics and how personal information is looked after.