Prince Harry's Lawyer Accuses Rupert Murdoch of Snooping Cover-Up

In a significant development from London on March 20, Prince Harry's legal team brought forward new allegations against media mogul Rupert Murdoch, accusing him of being aware of illicit activities within his British tabloids. The Duke of Sussex's attorney, David Sherborne, presented claims suggesting that Murdoch was cognizant of the falsehoods in public statements regarding phone hacking and other unauthorized information-gathering techniques at News Group Newspapers.

The allegations emerged during the initial phase of a three-day hearing at the High Court, where Harry, alongside actor Hugh Grant and other claimants, sought to modify their lawsuit against the publisher. They aim to incorporate claims highlighting an alleged effort to hide and obliterate evidence. Sherborne argued that such extensive measures of concealment and destruction would not have been undertaken without Murdoch's knowledge and consent.

However, defense lawyer Anthony Hudson contested these amendments as unnecessary, interpreting them as a strategy more aligned with public campaigning against the tabloid press rather than seeking justice. Hudson criticized the move as an attempt to attract media attention.

Prince Harry's legal battles against Britain's leading tabloids stem from alleged unlawful practices by journalists and private investigators, which surfaced following the 2011 phone hacking scandal at Murdoch's News of the World. The Duke has been vocal in his criticism of the press, attributing various personal grievances to their actions. This stance has notably distanced him from the royal family's traditional approach of resolving disputes away from the public eye.

In a historic moment in June, Prince Harry became the first senior royal in over a century to give court testimony. His efforts were rewarded in December when a judge ruled in his favor regarding phone hacking at Mirror Group Newspapers, describing it as "widespread and habitual." Although the total compensation was not disclosed, an interim payment of 400,000 pounds (approximately USD 508,000) was mentioned.

The lawsuit against News Group Newspapers alleges that between 1994 and 2016, The News of the World and The Sun engaged in privacy violations through methods such as voicemail interception, phone tapping, car bugging, and deceitful access to confidential information. It also accuses executives of lying and destroying records.

Following the 2011 scandal that led to the closure of News of the World, News Group Newspapers issued an unapologetic apology to all affected victims. Despite settling 1,300 claims related to its newspapers' actions, The Sun has not admitted liability. In response to the recent allegations, NGN defended its staff and executives against what it described as "misleading pleadings and unjustified inferences" in a statement that criticized the integrity attack as "scurrilous and cynical."

This ongoing legal saga underscores not only the personal toll on those involved but also highlights broader concerns regarding media ethics and accountability within the UK's press landscape.