Victoria Arbiter: royal commentator on Prince Harry's legal dispute with News Group Newspapers reaching a settlement

Prince Harry's decision to settle with News Group Newspapers may have been the smart move, according to one expert.

He'd been suing the group - which publishes the Sun and the now defunct News of the World - alleging they obtained information about him by illegal means, over 15 years. 

The settlement is reportedly over $20 million.

Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter says settling will save a headache. 

"At the end of the day, the UK justice system is prohibitively expensive - the cost would have been absolutely eye-watering. So thankfully, this has given him the closure that he so longer for."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay. A dispute between Prince Harry and the UK tabloids
has finally reached a settlement. Prince Harry has been suing
the publisher of the Sun for I legally obtained private
information about him which was obtained between nineteen ninety six
and two thousand and one. So it's been very expensive
for him. That he settled. He has agreed to a

(00:20):
deal said to be worth more than twenty million New
Zealand dollars, and Rupert Murdock's tabloids, but not Rupert himself,
have apologized to him for a serious intrusion into his
private life. So I'm joined now by Royal correspondent Victoria Arbata.
Hello Victoria, good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:38):
Thank you for having me.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
How is Prince Harry. What's his response been?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
Well? Prince Harry issued a statement via his lawyer and
he described the outcome the settlements as a monumental when
he appeared to be absolutely delighted, if not a little
relieved that it is all over. You do have to
wonder if there's a part Pim that's a little bit
disappointed because he has previously talked about being a dragon
slayer holding the figures that involved to account and wanting

(01:07):
to have his day in court. But at the end
of the day, the UK justice system is prohibitively expensive
that the cost would have been absolutely eye watering. So
hopefully this has given him the closure that he has
so long for.

Speaker 1 (01:21):
So earlier in the program, I said Prince Harry has
taken the money and run, and people say, well, look no,
he's held them to account. But the fact is, Prince
Harry always said the dispute was never about the money
he was wanting. It wasn't he wanting yes, an apology, yes,
or the admissions, but he was also wanting a verdict.
He's not getting that now he's getting a sentiment instead.

(01:44):
So has he you know, has he has he taken
the money and run?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
Will you raise a number of very valid points here,
And this is where it becomes quite complicated, certainly online
he's getting a lot of criticism from people that he
has settled. Then this is what's tricky when you promise
that you're not going to settle and you're going to
be a dragon player. And it was just a few
months ago in a forum with The New York Times
that he was saying that for him, as you said,

(02:11):
that this was never about money. It's about justice. It's
about holding the responsible parties to account. But there is
only so much litigation one can take. But where it
becomes really problematic is the UK justice system, which I
mentioned before and so without getting too dull about this,
in the crux of things are if he was offered

(02:33):
a vast sum of money as a settlement and he
chose to turn that down, if he got even one
penny less having one from the judge, then he would
be responsible for both costs on both sides. That is
a sum that I think even some of the world
billionaires wouldn't be able to wouldn't be able to do.
So I think he's got part of what he wants.

(02:54):
As you mentioned that apology. He got an apology on
behalf of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. But
what he has to achieved is the Sun newspaper being
shut down or individuals personally being held.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Responsible, and also giving a president into the law, which
could have been handy in the future. But there we are.
So this apology wasn't just for Prince Harry, but what
about the risks of the royal family who were snooped
on as well.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Well. Prince William actually was the one that really achieved that.
In two thousand and eleven, he quietly settled with Murdock.
And it's interesting that Prince Harry has previously criticized his
brother for settling. He thought that that was sort of
the coward's way out. I think he was determined not
to settle. But interestingly it was Prince William. It was
his case that resulted in the News of the World newspaper,

(03:38):
another of mngn's titles, being shut down. There were responsible
parties there that were convicted and given jail time. William
also received a settlement. All of that money he donated
to charity, and he received an apology for himself and
the wider royal family. I don't think it's right to
compare the two brothers because they were sort of fighting

(03:59):
to different different battles, if you will. They were doing
this independently. But Harry has not achieved quite what his
brother did. But what he did get is that the
Sun admitted to unlawful practices, which it hasn't done before.

Speaker 1 (04:15):
Victoria, it's always a pleasure to talk to you. Thank
you so much for taking time for us today that
is Victoria Abata, Royal Correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
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