Prince Harry accuses The Washington Post CEO of covering up The Sun scandal

Prince Harry accuses Will Lewis, CEO of the Washington Post, of aiding a cover-up of illegal practices at The Sun.

Prince Harry has reportedly accused Will Lewis, the CEO of The Washington Post, of “instigating and authorizing” the cover-up of widespread illegality in the British tabloid, The Sun.

In court papers, Prince Harry alleges Will Lewis facilitated a cover-up of illegal activities at The Sun.

Harry's legal filing indicates that in 2011 Will Lewis helped James Murdoch and Rebekah Brooks to keep News Group Newspapers' illegal data collection secret. The company tracked his phone and bugged car to get news about Harry and Tom Watson, his fellow plaintiff.

“[Illegal act] was widespread and habitual at these newspapers, despite the denials, and there was a deliberate cover-up and concealment of incriminating evidence by Senior Executives,” lawyers representing the Duke claimed. Only Harry and Watson remain of the approximately 40 plaintiffs who originally filed claims against Murdoch’s publications.

NGN has denied all allegations. The Washington Post issued a statement last year addressing these allegations against Lewis, saying, “Any allegations of wrongdoing are untrue. I have no further comment to make.”

During Lewis's watch, the publication reportedly lost almost 90 per cent of its online readership and half a million subscribers. Despite this, he appears to retain the support of Jeff Bezos, the Post’s owner, who was seen dining with Lewis recently.

Rupert Murdoch accused of misleading parliament and deleting millions of emails

The lawsuit also claims that Rupert Murdoch, NGN’s owner, misled a Parliamentary Committee and oversaw the deletion of 30 million emails to conceal the company’s misconduct. Byline Times, the first outlet to report on the filings, alleges Lewis misled police and played a role in a broader cover-up.

The trial, which is expected to last nine weeks, began amid reports that NGN made a settlement offer to Harry. Legal teams reportedly delayed proceedings by a day to negotiate.

Under UK legal rules, Harry risks huge financial liability if the court awards him less than the NGN’s settlement offer. Actor Hugh Grant, who previously settled with NGN, explained in April 2024 that he was advised to settle to avoid potentially ruinous legal costs, stating, “News Group are claiming they are entirely innocent of the things I had accused The Sun of doing... As is common with entirely innocent people, they are offering me an enormous sum of money to keep this matter out of court.”

“The rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides... I’m afraid I am shying at that fence.”

Speaking at The New York Times Dealbook summit in December, Prince Harry however said, “One of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.”