Prince William Quietly Received ‘Very Large Sum of Money’ from Rupert Murdoch Settlement

Recently, lawyers for Prince Harry revealed in court that Prince William accepted a “very large sum of money” from Rupert Murdoch-owned NGN as part of a phone hacking settlement.

Prince Harry: Mega Agency
Prince Harry: Mega Agency

Lawyers for Prince Harry have revealed that Prince William quietly received a “very large sum of money” from a phone hacking settlement with a Rupert Murdoch newspaper.

The revelation came as part of a separate case against UK media.

Prince Harry is often seen as a rabblerouser and trouble stirrer, but it seems that Prince William himself, now second in line for the throne, had his own beef with the British tabloids – and he encouraged his brother to drop a battle the younger prince thought they would fight together.

See: BLOODY ROYALS? PRINCE HARRY SAYS BROTHER PRINCE WILLIAM PHYSICALLY ATTACKED HIM OVER MEGHAN MARKLE

Harry Couldn’t Sue Before Due to a ‘Secret’ Agreement

Prince Harry is currently suing News Group Newspapers [(NGN)], publisher of The Sun and the now-shuttered News of the World. He says that they illegally gathered information about him when he was 11 and 12.

Insider reports, “The Murdoch-owned News Group Newspapers argued Harry’s suit should be thrown out because it was brought too late, the AP reported, but Harry’s legal team argued that he was not able to bring the case earlier because of a secret agreement brokered by the late Queen Elizabeth and the newspapers that called for a quiet settlement and an apology.”

Prince Harry said in witness statements for the new lawsuit that he became aware of the secret agreement around 2012, when he and Prince William spoke to the royal family’s lawyer about taking legal action against NGN for alleged phone hacking.

The BBC says that in his witness statement, Prince Harry said, “The rationale behind this was that a secret agreement had been reached between the institution and senior executives at News Group Newspapers, whereby members of the Royal Family would bring phone hacking claims only at the conclusion of [all other cases] and at that stage the claims would be admitted or settled with an apology.”

Harry explained that the settlement was arranged in the hope that the royal family might, “avoid the situation where a member of the royal family would have to sit in the witness box and recount the specific details of the private and highly-sensitive voicemails that had been intercepted.” He added, “This agreement, including the promises from NGN for delayed resolution was, obviously, a major factor as to why no claim was brought by me at that time.”

William Accepted a Settlement from NGN

The revelation that Prince William received a massive settlement from NGN over phone hacking is significant because it highlights the ongoing scandal surrounding illegal activities by the media and invasion of privacy. And it may answer some questions about why Prince Harry was left to bear a torch alone against the media for their attacks against his family.

Phone hacking, an illegal and invasive technique whereby journalists gain access to individuals’ voicemails without permission, is a serious breach of privacy and has been an issue in the UK media for many years.

Prince Harry has been criticized for being openly critical about the arrangement between the British media and the royal institution, but the settlement with Prince William suggests that there is awareness throughout the royal family about how bad the invasive techniques are and how inappropriately they behave.

But for whatever reason – Prince Harry and Megan Markle suggest it’s racism – the institution seems to look the other direction and pretend nothing untoward is happening when the media’s efforts are aimed at the younger prince and his wife.

The settlement with Prince William suggests that other members of the royal family have been targeted by the media in this way, despite their public “all is well” attitude.

Overall, the settlement underscores the need for greater accountability and regulation in the media industry, and raises questions about the ethical standards of media outlets and their relationship with the public. Especially as those ethical standards apply to those in the near-constant public eye, like the royal family.

Prince Harry is also currently suing Associated Newspapers, which produces the Daily Mail, for similar invasive practices.

In his witness statement, the younger prince explained “The Institution was without a doubt withholding information from me for a long time about NGN’s phone hacking and that has only become clear in recent years as I have pursued my own claim with different legal advice and representation.” He added, “It is not an exaggeration to say that the bubble burst in terms of what I knew in 2020 when I moved out of the United Kingdom.”

Rumors online suggest that the settlement was accepted by Prince William so he would drop his pursuit of NGN in court – in order to stop damaging information from coming to light during the trial.

While he was accepting the settlement, Prince William was encouraging Prince Harry to drop his lawsuit, despite the fact that the pair had entered into the battle against NGN ostensibly in agreement.

Some have speculated as to what Prince William could have wanted to keep quiet – including rumors of an affair – and the damage that the entire settlement arrangement might have done to the princes’ relationship.

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