For Harry, victory against Murdoch’s tabloids, but the fight goes on

London: The decision of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper empire to pay Prince Harry a settlement thought to be at least £10 million ($19.6 million) draws a line under a decades-long scandal which has left a permanent stain on the media mogul’s legacy and the wider industry.

By obtaining a full apology from Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers, along with an admission for the first time of unlawful behaviour by its Sun tabloid towards him and his late mother, Princess Diana, the youngest son of King Charles declared the result a “monumental victory”.

It marks the end of an era of high-profile legal cases that grew out of the phone-hacking scandal, one of the darkest periods in the history of the British news media. Murdoch’s UK publishing business has now paid out more than £1 billion in damages to more than 1300 people and subsequent legal fees. The conclusion follows years of courtroom battles stemming from allegations of hacking by journalists and unlawful information gathering from private investigators working for his mastheads throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Harry, having left his royal role, became ostracised from his family, and facing a barrage of public criticism, has made it his mission to take on those in the media whom he has accused of destroying his life and that of other prominent figures with impunity. He cast himself as the last person who could absorb the fight.

“Today the lies are laid bare. Today, the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one stands above the law,” he said in a statement with his joint claimant, former senior British Labour MP Tom Watson.

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Between July and December last year, 39 individuals reached settlements with News, including actor Hugh Grant, who resolved his claim after being warned he risked £10 million in legal costs if his case went to trial. Other high-profile individuals who settled, having claimed their personal information was acquired by deception, included actress Sienna Miller, former footballer Paul Gascoigne, comedian Catherine Tate, Spice Girl Melanie Chisholm, ex-Boyzone member Shane Lynch, and Gavin & Stacey actor Mathew Horne.

But the Duke of Sussex had refused to settle, on principle, which forced Murdoch’s group to make an apology. It means there is no full trial. News offered a “full and unequivocal apology” for hacking Harry’s phone and intruding into his personal life and that of Diana, “in particular during his younger years”.

“We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,” the company said in a five-paragraph statement.