LONDON – Prince Harry, along with other prominent figures such as actor Hugh Grant and director Guy Ritchie, is seeking to amend their ongoing lawsuit against media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers. The prince has long maintained that Murdoch and his senior executives were aware of the unlawful practices conducted by his British tabloids, a scandal that rocked the media empire over a decade ago. Harry’s lawyers are now alleging that Murdoch personally knew about the privacy-invading practices of his reporters much earlier than he had previously admitted.
The lawsuit seeks to broaden its scope to include allegations against more than a dozen current and former editors and executives at Murdoch’s media empire. The lawsuit claims that these individuals were either aware of or involved in efforts to conceal and destroy evidence of wrongdoing. Those named in the lawsuit include William Lewis, now the publisher and CEO of The Washington Post, Rebekah Brooks, CEO of News UK, and James Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch’s son and former member of the family business.
The trial for this case is scheduled to take place in January 2025, with a decision on the amendment to the lawsuit expected in the coming weeks. News Group Newspapers has labeled the latest claims as a “scurrilous and cynical attack” on the integrity of its employees. The company has previously apologized for the phone-hacking scandal in 2011 and has been compensating victims. News Group Newspapers argues that many of the claims brought up in this case have already been thoroughly investigated in the past.
Prince Harry has been vocal about his mission to change the media landscape, blaming the tabloids for his mother’s death and the negative coverage of his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. In his memoir, Harry refers to Murdoch as “evil” and criticizes Rebekah Brooks, branding her as “Rehabber Kooks.” Allegations have been made that Murdoch’s tabloid titles engaged in unlawful activities such as intercepting voice mails and using deception to obtain confidential information.
The phone-hacking scandal had far-reaching consequences for Murdoch’s tabloid empire, resulting in the closure of the News of the World and legal actions against numerous journalists and executives. The scandal is estimated to have cost Murdoch’s British publishing business over $1.3 billion in payouts and legal fees. William Lewis, who joined News Corp. after the scandal, has been accused of being involved in the destruction of company emails to conceal evidence. Lewis denies these claims.
The defense attorney for News Group Newspapers argues that the proposed amendment to the case is unnecessary and an attempt to generate headlines. The lawyer for Harry and the other claimants counters that there is ample time to prepare for the 2025 trial and that the defense’s position is a distraction from the essence of the case. Media lawyer Mark Stephens suggests that adding senior executives to the lawsuit is a strategy to obtain documents and evidence that could implicate Murdoch.
As the case unfolds, it presents an opportunity to shed further light on the practices of Murdoch’s media empire and potentially hold accountable those involved in the scandal. The outcome of this lawsuit could have significant implications for the future of press regulation and accountability in the UK.