Prince William 'recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes', court documents said. EPA
Prince William 'recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes', court documents said. EPA
Prince William 'recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes', court documents said. EPA
Prince William 'recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes', court documents said. EPA

Prince William took 'very large sum' from Murdoch group to settle phone-hacking claim


Simon Rushton
  • English
  • Arabic

Britain's Prince William settled a phone-hacking claim against Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper arm for a “very large sum” after a secret deal struck with Buckingham Palace, lawyers for the heir's brother Prince Harry said in court documents.

The Duke of Sussex, the younger son of King Charles, is suing Murdoch's News Group Newspapers at the High Court in London for multiple unlawful acts allegedly committed on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and defunct News of the World, from the mid-1990s until 2016.

During three days of preliminary hearings this week, NGN, which has paid out millions to settle more than 1,000 phone-hacking cases, is seeking to stop claims by Prince Harry and British actor Hugh Grant, arguing they should have acted sooner.

It also denies anyone from the Sun was involved in unlawful activity.

Prince Harry's lawyers said the publisher's application went against a “secret agreement” between the royal family and NGN, which the Duke of Sussex was informed of in 2012.

In court documents, David Sherborne, representing Prince Harry, said the late Queen Elizabeth II was involved in the “discussion and authorisation” of the agreement. It said that members of the royal family would not pursue claims against NGN until after the conclusion of litigation over hacking.

Mr Sherborne said in written arguments that the agreement “meant that the claimant could not bring a claim against NGN for phone hacking at that time”.

“It was agreed that … News would admit or settle such a claim with an apology” at the end of the phone hacking case, he added.

“In 2017, the claimant and the institution began to push for the outstanding claim to be resolved,” he said.

“However, News filibustered in relation to this until, in 2019, the claimant had enough and issued his claim.”

Mr Sherborne said Prince William “recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes”.

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While you're here
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

What are the main cyber security threats?

Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.

Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites

The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.

It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.

“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.

The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

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Updated: April 25, 2023, 9:18 PM