Prince Harry is set to return to the UK amidst the legal battle that has grabbed the spotlight over the last few months. The Duke of Sussex is set to go up against News Group Newspapers (NGN), which owns a popular news outlet in the UK, The Sun. The allegations focus on unlawful information gathering by journalists and private investigators against Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle. Although NGN has previously denied that unlawful activity happened at The Sun, Prince Harry has claimed to take this case quite seriously.
As per AOL, Prince Harry will fly home on January 7, and Meghan Markle won’t be accompanying him as she would like to stay back with the kids, Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3. The Duke of Sussex’s lawyers told the High Court that an investigator provided information in 2016 for two stories on the future Duchess of Sussex. These stories were published shortly after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle started their courtship.
Prince Harry’s legal team also alleged that News Group Newspapers (NGN) paid investigators to intercept landline calls about him. However, the High Court previously ruled that Harry missed the deadline to sue NGN over phone hacking.
Prince Harry to return to UK this week but without Meghan Markle https://t.co/HklRYtPOOL pic.twitter.com/do0BgV0Iym
— Mirror Royal (@MirrorRoyal) January 7, 2025
In a separate case, Prince Harry testified against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) in June 2023, alleging they hacked voicemails to gather personal information. This made him the first royal in 130 years to take the stand. By December 2023, a judge ruled in his favor, finding sufficient evidence that MGN engaged in illegal information gathering, including phone hacking.
Now, his claims of other unlawful information-gathering methods are likely to go to trial this month, which is set to last for eight weeks. In April 2023, Harry also claimed that his brother, Prince William, and the Palace authorities agreed to settle with the media corporation for a “very large sum” in 2020. According to CNN, Harry further alleged that his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, knew about the settlement. News Group Newspapers (NGN) has denied all claims.
Prince Harry also spoke about his legal battle last month at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit and noted that the agenda behind fighting for this case is more about ethics and accountability. He noted, “They’ve settled because they’ve had to settle,” referring to those who came before him. “So therefore, one of the main reasons for seeing this through is accountability, because I’m the last person that can actually achieve that.”
View this post on Instagram
The Duchess and Duke of Sussex first crossed paths in 2016, after which they were never away from the spotlight. The couple was married on May 19, 2018, in a grand ceremony at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Their big day was a global event streamed by millions. Alas, Meghan Markle faced continuous criticism after the duo tied the knot. Eventually, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down from their royal duties in 2020 after the birth of their first child and decided to spend their time partly between the US and the UK.
View this post on Instagram
When the tabloid scrutiny went too far, Prince Harry felt it was best for his wife Meghan Markle to now stay mostly in California. They also no longer have an official residence in the UK. In early 2023, the couple was asked to leave Frogmore Cottage, a Grade-II listed property on the Windsor estate. Moreover, Harry and Meghan are now no longer referred to as His or Her Royal Highness (HRH) anymore but they retain the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Additionally, Prince Harry has also given up his military titles.
