The Duke of Sussex will receive a “substantial” payout for the remaining claims in his phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), his lawyer has told the High Court.
MGN will pay all of Prince Harry’s legal costs, starting with an interim payment of £400,000.
In December, the duke was awarded £140,600 in damages after winning 15 claims against MGN.
The new settlement relates to claims of trespass on a further 115 flats.
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“MGN will pay the Duke of Sussex a substantial additional sum in damages and all the costs of his claim,” David Sherborne told the court on Friday.
The publisher was pleased to have reached an agreement that “gives our business greater clarity to move forward with events that took place many years ago and for which we have apologized.”
A spokesperson said MGN welcomed the December ruling, adding that “when historical irregularities occurred, we apologized unreservedly, took full responsibility and paid compensation.”
The duke was one of several high-profile figures to launch claims against MGN, accusing the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People of unlawful intrusion into their private lives to obtain stories.
Thirty-three articles of Prince Harry’s claim were examined during last year’s trial, and 15 of them were found to have been the product of illegal information gathering.
In December, the High Court ruled there was evidence of “widespread and habitual” use of phone hacking in the Mirror group’s newspapers.
The additional 115 items contained in Prince Harry’s claim could have been the subject of a new trial if a settlement had not been reached.
Reading a statement on behalf of Prince Harry in front of the High Court, Mr Sherborne said: “Following our victory in December, Mirror Group finally accepted the remainder of my claim, which would have consisted of two further trials, additional evidence and 115 more articles. .
“Everything we said was happening at Mirror Group was in fact happening, and was in fact much worse, as the court ruled in its extremely damning judgment.
“In light of all this, we once again call on the authorities to respect the rule of law and demonstrate that no one is above it.”
The statement added that this should include former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan, “who, as editor, knew perfectly well what was going on, as the judge held.”
“Even his own employer realized that he simply could not call him as a witness to the truth,” the statement continued.
“Your disregard of him for the court’s ruling and your continued attacks on him since then demonstrate why it was so important to obtain a clear and detailed ruling.”
The statement ends by saying that “our mission continues” and that the duke “will continue to see it through to the end.”
Morgan has repeatedly denied any knowledge of hacking allegations.
Actor Michael Turner, known professionally as Michael Le Vell and most famous for playing Kevin Webster in Coronation Street, actress Nikki Sanderson and Fiona Wightman, the ex-wife of comedian Paul Whitehouse, have also filed similar claims against the company.
The claims brought by Ms Sanderson and Ms Wightman were dismissed because they were brought too late, even though the judge found some of their claims to be proven.
Judge Fancourt ruled that both should pay MGN the legal costs of defending their individual claims.
The judge also ruled that Turner should pay MGN’s costs of responding to his claim from the date of March 5, 2022, when an offer was made.
Judge Fancourt, a veteran of wiretapping allegations, criticized the “extremely adversarial way” in which both sides had approached this legal battle.
Some plaintiffs refused to negotiate with the MGN, he claimed, and had unrealistically exaggerated their allegations.
Prince Harry did not appear in court on Friday as he returned to the United States this week after visiting his father, King Charles III, following his cancer diagnosis.
The duke has long been an outspoken critic of sections of the tabloid press.
He has been involved in a series of legal battles in recent years, most of which are still unresolved, including allegations of illegal information gathering by the Sun’s publisher, News Group Newspapers, which is due to go to trial in 2025. .
Last month, he dropped a defamation lawsuit against the editor of Mai
