Harry v. NGN

[Atlasvue]

Starting a thread for Tuesday.
This BBC article covers the basics. This is the last line ….
’Tuesday really is the beginning of the end. And someone is going to lose - and lose big.’

I have a feeling, that Harry won’t win but he just wants to use the public setting to air his grievances. A therapy session would have worked out much cheaper.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c2l00xkgwnyo

'Different country, very different legal system and different set of issues, but if £10M (plus costs) was all it'd take to get Harry to settle, don't you think Murdoch would have offered that ages ago?'

What makes you think they didn't?

I think they probably offered the settlement some time ago and Harry's accepted because things weren't going the way he wanted. He's done nothing different to all the other claimants who settled, he's just made a bigger song and dance about it. I suppose his supporters will find a way of painting him as the bravestest and couragestest hewo ever, but ultimately, just like everyone else, he's taken the money and run. It'll be interesting to see if any charities get a sniff of the funds (and I don’t mean paying it into Archewell and donating 5%).

The irony, of course, is that in today's world print newspapers and journalists aren't where trouble comes from. It's online.

He's not happy, he's never going to be happy because he'll never be able to control people saying awful things about him, his mum, his wife. The only truly admirable thing I rate him for is keeping his children out of the media entirely.

This litigation was about old school print papers, old school courtrooms, old school solutions, historic events. He's already moved onto slaying online dragons in the form of stating the first amendment is bonkers, children need to be protected from online abuse via the Parent Network initiative, last week's statement re Meta, whatever conferences he's spoken at about children and the internet etc. It's all about people saying hurtful things and getting away with it. He wants the world to change its behaviour so he can remain sensitive. #BeKind. #ChangeTheWorld. It doesn't occur to him that he can't control other people, he can only control his reaction to them.

Meanwhile, his wife has just opened an Instagram account to make money out of publicising herself on said platform, which itself only exists to spread a "curated" version of the truth, one week before issuing a statement against the owner of that platform. That's only the second or third most recent example of head-scratching hypocrisy. They go back as far as the couple themselves.

More than anything I wish for Harry that he can escape the modern world and find peace somewhere with his children. I think and hope he's too thick to see the whole matrix because frankly he'd never survive - few people would. Perhaps his ignorance is his saving grace.

Absolutely Sherborne was saying what Harry wanted him to say.

I was surprised Harry settled because I thought he wanted his day in court but the financial realities are what they are even if you have pockets as deep as Harry's.

It all just feels very deja vu. Apart from the admission that The Sun also subcontracted to private detectives who acted illegally we haven't learnt anything we didn't know in 2011. Plus I think most of us assumed The Sun were doing that anyway.

As I say, I hope it brings closure for Harry because that's the only new aspect.

Harry: I am on a crusade against the evil press barons! I am literally the only person in the world who can do this. The last one standing. I am on a mission to change the media landscape. I am not afraid of flying to the UK to be cross-examined in the witness box. In fact, I relish the prospect!

NGN: Are you quite sure about that Hazza it's just that if we get to cross-examine you it means you're under oath when asked questions about the true extent of your substance misuse and toxic behaviour whilst you were part of the Royal Family which the 'men in grey' whom you loathe have hithertofore done such a sterling job in massaging and covering up?

Harry: Oh really? I'll be under oath? But I'm a Prince! And a bally hero!

NGN: Er...of course you are Sir but also when in the witness box you'll be raked over the coals like any ordinary commoner

Harry: Oh. Oh dear. Well, er, in that case...

NGN: Also we understand you're currently haemorrhaging cash whilst finding freedom, so here's a big bung of money - which we made from our selling the very newspapers you decry.

Harry: Great, I'll take it!! Oh...yes...and also, this is a moral victory. I've got the moral high ground, just like I always do, me and my morally superior Missus. Make sure you write that in your tabloids (which I still despise btw apart from when they're praising me), right? I'm a bally hero!!!

And just to add, there's the breathtaking hypocrisy of the man complaining about his privacy being invaded, when he has done nothing but invade his family's privacy for cash since he left the RF in 2020. So yes, Mr Dragon Slayer may have every right to feel aggrieved at his own treatment by the press, but so do those he has hurt time and time again in his lucrative media deals.

He has invaded more than his family for cash. What about the girl from the pub who ended up being splashed all over the papers?

He could’ve settled for the same apology & payout years ago like most of the others. All he’s done is rack up more legal debts. Maybe it’s a lesson learnt🤞. Really hope it’s the start of him dealing with the real world…

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/01/22/prince-harry-news-group-climbdown-settlement-court/

https://archive.ph/4ksFX

‘Harry climbs down after vowing to never give up anti-media crusade
Duke of Sussex accepts hefty financial settlement from News Group Newspapers, despite previously insisting he would never settle

The Duke of Sussex put everything on the line to take on Rupert Murdoch’s media empire: his relationships with his family, his reputation and his own, post-royal career.
However it may have been presented, his acceptance of a hefty, eight-figure financial settlement from the publisherof The Sun will be considered by many as a humiliating climbdown.
Without the spectre of a long-awaited trial – one that threatened to cause significant reputational damage to News Group Newspapers (NGN) – his efforts to “change the media landscape” in the UK appear to have fallen rather flat.

The Duke was not only said to be preparing to fly from California to give evidence in support of his claim, but to be “relishing” the very prospect.
Just last month, he defiantly insisted that he would never settle, that he would pursue this case on behalf of the many hundreds who had no option but to throw in the towel.
He was, he said, “the last person” who could achieve accountability, to obtain closure for those who did not have the financial resources to have their day in court.’

Says it all. Harry caved and it’s a humiliation.

The settlement is confidential. Like Prince Andrew’s. No one knows for sure. Each side will want to leak that it is higher or lower.

The BBC journalist said he'd been reliably informed eight figures, 10 million. Of course we will never know but I suspect the fact that different sources are in the same ball park means that 10 is a good benchmark.

Absolutely but Chris Ship has just said on the telly that the amount is thought to be between 10-20 million.

that's its been said that the costs are covered at 10 million the settlement being reported at 8 figures is basic maths. Harry annoys me however Murdoch is a man I can easily say I hate. I'm hoping it is a huge payout, if only Harry hadn't announced his intentions which I thought was stupid thing to announce to the judge.

I don’t think it will be anywhere near the 30 million as posted above….

Any idea or guesses as to what the settlement amount is ?

Wondering if NGN would be motivated to settle for fear of paying more if it went to trial or would they be more concerned with the cost to their image ?

Also wondering if Harry & Meghan would ever just retreat if they had Oprah money.

I WISH I could do their PR and sometimes find myself fantasising about it 😆

It’s also good to remember that Tom Bradby and Harry are mates. If ITV news are reporting a roundabout figure then I would tend to believe it.

Ahhh apologies. I’m going with the BBC Journalist and my guess is 10,000,000

This wasn't the daily Mail, this was ' the sun ' and the now defunct ' news of the world'

Harry has had a disastrous few weeks so I’m not too surprised he has cut and run. This case revolves around historic U.K. media dealings. His focus needs to be on the shit show that they are currently making of things in the US and the media reports over there.

At least taking the settlement means he should now have more than enough money to take legal action against the ‘distressing’ claims that his wife is a bully.😉

I'm aware of that. But my point remains.

Now that the company has admitted to illegal activity

But they haven't. At least not on their part.

This settlement, in substance, is little different to many other settlements which have been reached over the years. There is no admission of liability on the part of NGN.

The great tragedy of course is that this has all been settled after the demise of Page 3; no opportunity for a busty lady with a speech bubble saying “Prince Harry: it’s not as large as rumoured. The settlement, of course!”

It's worth considering that PH's financial situation could well be considered to have changed even since Jan 1st.

1. LA fires - if they've been informed that their mansion is not or will no longer be insurable, that's a considerable blow given the cost and the fact it's their only home.
2. The poor reception of their last known Netflix production. The delay talks could have included some chat about the poor performance of their Netflix series so far.

So not only can they no longer afford to lose 10m (if they ever could), they might need additional earnings on the books.

Well done Prince Harry

What for, settling?

So people are speculating that the settlement is $10m (or £10m). I believe I had also read that costs (for both sides) amounted to the same. Assuming that Harry paid $5m in legal fees, he'd have $5m left for himself. Is that right?

It seems a coincidence that the estimated total costs (for both sides) and the settlement Harry got are the same figure, does it not?

Edit: typo