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Prince Harry receives ‘major blow’ in phone hacking case against News Group Newspapers
Ruling in favour of NGN, the Judge accepted the argument that Harry was aware of the phone hacking scandal to file a case earlier.
Prince Harry has received a major blow in his phone hacking case against News Group Newspapers (NGN). On Thursday, Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that only part of his lawsuit will be taken for trial at the High Court. Ruling in favour of NGN, the Judge accepted the argument that Harry was aware of the phone hacking scandal to file a case earlier.
Harry file a lawsuit against NGN over alleged unlawful acts that he claimed were perpetrated by journalists and private investigators on behalf of its tabloids, the Sun and the News of the World. However, NGN sought to get the case dismissed, stating that it was brought too late.
Notably, Harry had argued that the Buckingham Palace's secret agreement with NGN to delay any claims until after the resolution of other cases over hacking, prevented him from filing the lawsuit sooner.
The High Court Judge has allowed Harry's allegations of securing confidential details by deception or impersonation and by using unlawful means which violated privacy, to be heard in January next year.
Meanwhile, spokesman for the publisher believes the ruling “substantially reduces the scope of [Harry's] legal claim”.
NGN, also denies that any such agreement with the Buckingham Palace as claimed by Harry exists. Anthony Hudson KC, representing NGN, said that Harry's claims of a secret agreement was “Alice in Wonderland stuff” and a “construct” of his lawyers.
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A spokesman for NGN said after the ruling: “The High Court has today, in a significant victory for News Group Newspapers, dismissed The Duke of Sussex’s phone hacking claims against both the News of the World and The Sun. As we reach the tail end of litigation, NGN is drawing a line under disputed matters, some of which date back more than 20 years ago."
“In arguing his case, the Duke of Sussex had alleged a ‘secret agreement’ existed between him/Buckingham Palace and NGN which stopped NGN from asserting that the duke’s claim had been brought too late. The Judge, Mr Justice Fancourt, found his claims in relation to the alleged ‘secret agreement’ were not plausible or credible. It is quite clear there was never any such agreement and it is only the Duke who has ever asserted there was," said the spokesman.
During the hearing of the case, Prince Harry stated that he first got to know of the phone hacking in 2006 when a message left for him was repeated “virtually verbatim” in the News of the World.
