Prince Harry's long-awaited trial over Rupert Murdoch's alleged illegal collection of information for London tabloids began on Tuesday. But it was immediately postponed amid indications that the prince had received a last-minute settlement offer from Mr Murdoch's News Group Newspapers.
Harry's lawyer pleaded with the judge for an hour before asking for another delay. During the break, lawyers gathered in the corridors of the Supreme Court, which was packed with journalists gathered to cover the trial, expected to be the last major legal settlement for the victims of the phone-hacking scandal that has tarnished Britain's news media for more than a decade. before.
If Harry accepted the deal, it would save him from a heavy financial risk, regardless of how he fares in court. Under English law, he will have to pay both sides' legal costs – which could run into tens of millions of dollars – if the court doesn't award him an amount that matches what News Group Newspapers has offered in a settlement.
For the News Group, it would prevent weeks of damaging testimony about phone-hacking and other illegal methods used by journalists to pass on information about Harry and other high-profile figures. News Group, which has denied the allegations, has settled similar claims with hundreds of other plaintiffs over the years.
The judge in the case, Timothy Fancourt, paused somewhat reluctantly, telling lawyers for both sides that he would do so on the grounds that additional time would be “beneficial” to some sort of outcome. Both sides had strong incentives to achieve a settlement.
Harry's lawyers planned what they described as not only a pattern of illegal behavior but also a systematic scheme to delete emails to cover up the hacking attack. They questioned why the News Group had no plans to name those they claim are most responsible for the cover-up: Mr Murdoch's younger son James; Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of News UK; and former CEO Will Lewis, now publisher of The Washington Post.
Harry, who was away from the courtroom Tuesday, said he expects legal costs to dwarf any settlement he receives from the court. But because of his resources and his profile as the youngest son of King Charles III, he said he had a chance to hold the tabloids to account for years of predatory behavior.
“One of the main reasons to understand this is accountability, because I'm the last person who can really achieve this,” Harry said in an interview at The New York Times' DealBook Summit last month.
News Group Newspapers has not commented on the settlement talks. But in a statement last week, the company said it made “commercial sense” to settle financial terms with other people who have filed a lawsuit against The Sun, one of two tabloids owned by Mr Murdoch, without admitting liability.
Mr Murdoch closed his other tabloid, The News of the World, in 2011 after allegations of phone hacking became a national scandal. He apologized for the behavior of The News of the World, but the company has never admitted wrongdoing by editors and reporters at The Sun.
Harry was expected to testify in late February after completing what the court called a “general case.” At this stage, lawyers for Harry and another claimant, former Labor deputy leader Tom Watson, planned to launch efforts to clear up widespread and deep-rooted wrongdoing by editors and reporters at The Sun, as well as incriminating emails.
News Group has settled with all but two of the original plaintiffs in that case, including actor Hugh Grant, as well as cases involving 1,300 other hacking claims. Mr. Grant said in April that he felt he had to settle because “even if every claim was proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10m. I'm afraid I'm afraid of that fence.”
Lawyers for Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, and Mr Watson, who is a member of the House of Lords, wrote in their brief: 'Frankly, this case is not about money. duke and lord watson'.
“They want findings and accountability for what was done to News Group and its senior executives 'against thousands of victims,' as well as more,” the attorneys wrote.