Prince Harry Settles Daily Mirror Phone-Hacking Claim

Facts

• Prince Harry has agreed to settle his phone-hacking case with Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), ending his legal battle with the Daily Mirror publisher; however, the Duke of Sussex vowed to continue his “mission” to hold the British media accountable for alleged invasive practices.¹
• According to the settlement terms, MGN will pay the Duke of Sussex a 'substantial' amount in damages in addition to his legal costs. In December, MGN was ordered to pay over £140K ($177K) to Harry for hacking his phone and indulging in 'unlawful information gathering.'²
• While the final amount has yet to be determined, MGN will make an interim payment of £400K ($505K) within two weeks. Harry was not present in court for Friday's ruling as he is back in the US after visiting his father, King Charles III, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.³
• In a statement read by his attorney outside of the court, Harry claimed that the Mirror acted in a 'shockingly dishonest way' for years and 'sought to conceal the truth' and took aim at the publication's former editor, Piers Morgan, claiming he knew “perfectly well what was going on.”⁴
• In December's ruling, the court had determined that 15 out of 33 articles Harry brought forth in his case were the product of unlawful information gathering. Friday's settlement relates to claims of illegal intrusion on 115 stories published between 1996 and 2010.⁵
• Since abdicating his royal duties and moving to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, Harry has launched multiple cases against British media executives he accused of abusing their power. He has pending lawsuits against Associated Newspapers and News Group Newspapers.⁶

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²CNN, ³Associated Press, ⁴Sky News, ⁵BBC News and ⁶US News & World Report.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by BNN. Though Prince Harry has secured a significant victory against MGN, this settlement isn't about money; it's about a young man who has been deprived of privacy for his entire life pursuing justice against an invasive press. Leading British editors, media executives, and publishers completely tossed ethics aside to obtain any bits of information. Harry's noble quest hasn't ended with this settlement, and he will continue to fight against a rogue media.
• Narrative B, as provided by Express.co.uk. After four long years, Prince Harry has finally settled his case with MGN, yet he continues to attack media executives for decades-old actions. Harry may be justified in his contempt for unscrupulous journalists who hacked his phone, but he shouldn't be attacking Piers Morgan and accusing him of knowing about improprieties from more than 20 years ago. Like everything Harry is involved with, this case has become about personal drama, distracting from his broader message.

Predictions