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

Sorry if already covered but why is Lord Watson pursuing this?

Tom Watson hasn't made repeated public statements saying he is "dragon slaying" and continuing this for "all the other claimants" who have already settled and has not been told by the Judge that the civil courts are not to be used to settle personal vendettas.

I have no idea why Tom Watson is continuing this, but I don't approve of him wasting the courts time any further.

Ah, that firebrand socialist and Deputy Prime Minister to Jeremy Corbyn, the Baron Watson of Wyre Forest?

I don't know what motivates him these days.

He did liken James Murdoch to a mafia boss.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-politics-15673551

Is Harry there in person?

Is this the same Tom Watson who was imprisoned for wilful fire raising?

Harry isn’t there and they’ve delayed the hearing until 2pm. Rumours are flying about on social media that Murdoch has offered a big pay out in order to settle out of court. It will be interesting to see what happens! Could be a load of rubbish though.

I read that but I thought Harry wanted to slay some dragons in court ??

A massive pay out could solve all their problems right now.

Or is it double bluff- Murdoch offering massive payment knowing Harry won't take it, thus increasing the chances of the court finding Harry liable for both fees? (If I've understood the links above)

It would have to be massive to solve their problems - how much is 'massive'?

Just to lower the tone of the discussion with a petty complaint...

I have become so allergic to seeing Harry in a suit constantly doing up and undoing his jacket button. I do appreciate that it's a nervous tic (it's awkward not having anything to carry etc, or to do with your hands) but OMG it really triggers me now. I have to look away when I see him running up and down steps doing that over and over again. Aaaarrggghh.

The answer would be to carry something - anything.

I have to agree with this. Murdoch isn't stupid.

BBC :

‘It’s now been delayed very unusually for an entire morning - and we learned enough before the adjournment to gather that both sides are talking to each other.
This suggests that there has been some kind of talks about settlement - but we cannot know for sure because those talks, if they’ve been going on, would be legally confidential.
Just assuming that media speculation is right, the question would then be what would Prince Harry get in an offer of settlement and what would News Group Newspapers be prepared to give away from its long-held red lines’

Looks like Harry is gearing up for a settlement. It was supposed to resume at 2pm

Harry’s lawyer has asked for a third delay!

Judge, tell him no!

Looks like the talks are with Prince Harry….thats why a delay

BBC

But no sooner are we poised to open the case when again Prince Harry's lawyer asks for a third delay.
David Sherborne has asked for more time for behind-the-scenes talks - with the agreement of NGN’s barrister Anthony Hudson KC.
“Having spoken with Mr Hudson we would like to ask for more time,” he tells the judge.
“We don’t do that lightly but we do believe that a couple of hours more today ... may be productive for the overall timetable of the trial. There’s only so much I can say.
“Mr Hudson and I would not be asking for more time if there was not a potentially good prospect of saving more time.”
Hudson tells the court that the real issue for the delays is “time differences”. This is clearly an indication that someone who needs to be part of the talks is in a different time zone, which surely means Prince Harry.
However, what’s clear is that whatever is being thrashed out is short of a final settlement of the case, as both sides’ barristers are talking about how whatever is being discussed will shorten the case, rather than end it.
“The opportunity that is presenting itself today may be less attractive once the trial has started,” says Hudson.

Why does Harry care to shorten the trial?

I wonder if it’s all getting too much for him now.

Disaster tourists, meghans show panned, Vanity fair bullying allegations, divorce book allegations, court case, Invictus coming up, meghan trying to launch her show and brand again. We aren’t even into February yet.

Judge refuses third delay! Quite right

Agree, further disrespect for rules.

any settlement would need to be substantial just to cover his cost.

Seems like drama

BBC:
Anthony Hudson KC for NGN asks the judge to go into chambers - legalese for kicking out the public so that he can have a private word with the judge and pass on information that he cannot currently divulge.
Mr Justice Fancourt is not having any of it.
“In this of all cases, I’m not going to start having secret chambers about what is going on.”
However, he grants a final 10-minute delay - and as he does so Prince Harry’s solicitor Roddy Chisholm Batten dashes out of court with a colleague.

So this is Harry on the other end of the line causing all this drama! Why the hell hasn’t he turned up if he wants to get involved

For goodness sake he was given a warning in 2023 when he didn't turn up for the first day, as he'd been told to -- bloody 🤡 he just has no respect for anything or anyone

Journalists have no clue what’s going on- further 10 min delay. What a waste of the courts time

bbc :

We were back again - but only ever so briefly.
The mood in the press overflow room, next door to the courtroom, is confused.
There were chuckles when, after the judge denied a third delay, Anthony Hudson KC stepped up and immediately pleaded for another break.
We can't quite believe it, as journalists around the room confirm with each other what we just heard.
Another 10 minutes it is.

I wonder if meghan has told him to settle because of what’s happened in the last two weeks …or this was his tactic all along to get more money

I couldn’t find the “it’s all the drama, Mick, I just love it” gif 🤣