Prince Harry won the lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which he accused of hacking his phone, on Friday. The British prince will receive compensation of 140,600 pounds, equivalent to almost 164,000 euros, the Supreme Court ruled according to BBC.
Britain’s highest court ruled that MGN’s newspapers – Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Sunday People – illegally obtained information via the telephone of Prince Harry or people close to him between 2003 and 2009. According to the court, his phone was hacked and the newspapers managed to listen to his voicemail, among other things. At least fifteen articles were published based on the information from the telephone.
At least two people at the top of the publishing house knew about the illegal practices, including former CEO Sly Bailey. He did nothing about it and actually tried to hide it, according to the court. In addition, the well-known British journalist Piers Morgan was involved in the eavesdropping. He worked at Daily Mirror from 1995 to 2004.
MGN apologizes
After the ruling, MGN apologized for “past mistakes.” “We take full responsibility and will pay appropriate compensation.”
Prince Harry responded in a statement that his lawyer read to the British press. He states that the ruling is good news “for truth and accountability.” The prince calls on the British authorities to also open a criminal case. He advocates a “free and fair press, which is properly accountable where necessary.” Prince Harry also has a series of other lawsuits against publishers, which he accuses, among other things, of defamation and tapping his telephone.
In total, more than a hundred British celebrities have filed a lawsuit against MGN. The judge considered three other cases on Friday. The publisher must also pay actor Michael Turner damages. MGN won two other cases due to lack of evidence.
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