Prince Harry court claims put end to hope of peace at Coronation

The Duke of Sussex appears to have scuppered any hope of a reconciliation with his brother at the Coronation after claiming in court documents that the Prince of Wales received a secret payment from Rupert Murdoch's company over phone hacking. Prince William received a "huge sum" as part of a private settlement for being a victim of hacking, Prince Harry alleged in High Court papers made public on Tuesday as part of his case against the owners of the News of the World and The Sun. The payment, which the Telegraph understands was around GBP1 million, proves the existence of a "secret agreement" made between the Royal household and News Group Newspapers (NGN), made in part to help rehabilitate the Queen, the Duke claimed.

He also alleged in his witness statement that Queen Elizabeth II was personally involved in the secret pact but later gave him permission to bring his own case against the publisher. It is understood Prince William was completely unaware of the contents of his brother's statement until it was made public just 12 days before the Coronation, when they will be reunited for the first time since the late Queen's funeral. The revelation of the secret payment will only serve to drive a deeper wedge between them.

Sources close to both the Sussexes and the Waleses indicated that they did not expect any rapprochement when Prince Harry flies to the UK for the Coronation on May 6.

The Duke claimed in his witness statement that the Royal family had agreed not to pursue litigation over phone hacking until other outstanding cases had been settled. In return, they were promised an apology at a later date, he said. "The reason for this was to avoid the situation where a member of the Royal family would have to sit in the witness box and recount the specific details of the private and highly sensitive voicemails that had been intercepted by Clive Goodman [the former royal correspondent of the News of the World who admitted hacking]," he alleged.

The family was "incredibly nervous" and wanted to avoid the "reputational damage" suffered in 1993 after the publication of an intercepted conversation between the King, then the Prince of Wales, and his future wife, then known as Camilla Parker-Bowles, which was dubbed "Tampongate". The Duke alleges that "NGN still settled [the Prince of Wales'] claim for a huge sum of money in 2020". NGN denied any secret agreement with the palace.

A spokesman offered no comment on the settlement. Although there are thought to have been negotiations with NGN in the run-up to Prince William's settlement, royal sources have denied the existence of a formal pact.

The Duke is understood to have watched proceedings at the High Court via video link as his lawyers challenged an attempt by the publisher to have his case thrown out because it was too old. Anthony Hudson KC, representing NGN, said the Duke had failed to bring his claim within the normal six-year deadline despite having admitted he discussed the prospect in 2012.

Prince Harry claimed in his witness statement that both he and William had been informed in around 2012 that there was "no possibility" of bringing a claim against NGN for phone hacking. "The rationale behind this was that a secret agreement had been reached between the institution and senior executives at NGN whereby members of the Royal family would bring phone hacking claims only at the conclusion of the mobile telephone voicemail interception litigation and at that stage the claims would be admitted or settled with an apology," he said. He suggested that Clarence House, his father's former household, had effectively blocked his "every move" as part of its "specific long-term strategy" to keep the media onside in order to smooth the way for Camilla to be accepted as Queen Consort.

"Anything that might upset the applecart in this regard (including the suggestion of resolution of our phone hacking claims) was to be avoided at all costs," he alleged.

While both Harry and William did initially seek a legal resolution in tandem, Harry later opted to break away and pursue his own case. By 2019, the relationship between himself and his wife and the tabloid press had deteriorated so rapidly that Meghan sued Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail. Her action prompted the Duke to strike out on his own against NGN, frustrated by the lack of progress made over the previous two years.

He launched his own claim in September 2019 after calling his grandmother and father from Africa, where he was on a royal tour. Prince Harry suggested that because of his "unique perspective and valuable experience", he had a responsibility to take a stand. He said journalism as a profession could be "saved" by exposing those working in the media who have "hijacked the privileges and powers of the press".

"It is clear to me that the tabloid press are the mothership of online trolling," he went on. "This is brainwashing at the highest level." He is known to have long harboured a hatred of some parts of the media, which he blames in part for the death of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales. He said the media had impacted every one of his relationships, with every girlfriend, their friends and family "dragged into the chaos" and "subjected to unlawful activity on the part of NGN".

The Duke said he was spurred on to seek a resolution with NGN because he could not abide the thought of the "main culprits" from the tabloid newspapers being amongst the congregation on his wedding day.

However, in the event, despite repeatedly pushing the matter, he was told it was not going to happen. The Duke said he was "absolutely astonished" that Rebekah Brooks was found not guilty of phone hacking in June 2014. "If my claim was to be struck out, NGN would be getting away with it again," he said. "They're proven liars and destroyers of evidence."

Lord Grabiner KC, the former independent chairman of the management and standards committee set up by News Corp, NGN's parent company, to investigate phone hacking allegations, denied knowing about a secret deal between executives and the Royal family.

"I can confirm with great confidence that such an agreement was never mentioned to me, nor otherwise drawn to my attention," he said in a witness statement. "Nor am I aware of any agreement whereby NGN waived its right to raise the defence of limitation in any claims brought by members of the Royal family."