What Prince William's Secret Tabloid Settlement Means for Prince …
The details of the give-and-take relationship between the British royal family and the UK press have always been kept intentionally murky--which is why Prince William's private settlement with The Sun is such a big deal, and why it might be important to his brother's own legal battle with the tabloid. Prince Harry is still in the middle of suing News Group Newspapers (NGN), which owns The Sun and other UK tabloids, for allegedly hacking his phone to gain his private information and details on his whereabouts, according to the BBC, but NGN's lawyers argue that it's too late for the prince to bring a legal claim. Now Harry's lawyers have presented new documents that allege officials at Buckingham Palace made a "secret agreement" with the tabloid to prevent members of the royal family from pursuing legal action against it.
The documents also say that Prince William actually settled privately with The Sun for "a huge sum" over the phone hacking back in 2020. Per the Independent, Harry said that the alleged agreement "including the promises from NGN for delayed resolution was, obviously, a major factor as to why no claim was brought by me at that time."
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According to the documents, per Reuters, Harry says NGN settled with William "for a huge sum of money in 2020...without any of the public being told, and seemingly with some favourable deal in return for him going 'quietly' so to speak." He continues, "This goes to prove the existence of this secret agreement between the institution and senior executives at NGN." Harry is seeking a public apology from NGN. Prince Harry's decision to wage a public legal battle with the tabloids has always been seen as another move putting him at odds with royal protocol, which likes to keep the royals-tabloid relationship hush-hush.
The allegations Harry makes in these documents seem aimed at proving some of the allegations he made in his memoir, Spare. "There was a feeling that whatever Harry said in his book would just be news today, gone tomorrow," an insider told Harper's Bazaar in January. "However, the level of detail given in the book about specific relationships with the media has put it all under the microscope now."
It looks like that microscope may be even more powerful than palace officials bargained for.
Originally Appeared on Glamour