The Future of Prince Harry's Battle with the Media: What's Next

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, first faced evidence of phone hacking 11 years ago during the trial of media executives from the now-defunct News of the World. However, the prince was reluctant to take legal action due to a belief within the palace that royals should not sue. This changed when his friends Elton John and David Furnish introduced him to David Sherborne, a barrister experienced in phone hacking cases. Despite some downplaying the significance, Prince Harry has achieved two major victories in his battle against "unlawful information gathering." Unlike most phone hacking victims who settle with newspapers privately, Prince Harry refused to settle and instead provided evidence in person at court. This approach led to a judgment last year supporting his claims and revealing the extent of unlawful practices at Mirror Group Newspapers. This judgment strengthened his case and made today's settlement with MGN more likely. The damages awarded to Prince Harry, although not the highest in a phone hacking case, highlight the repeated hacking of a senior royal as a significant security risk. While some argue that the prince accepted a smaller settlement, it is believed that he is not driven by money but rather by a desire for positive change in media culture. Prince Harry aims to defeat Associated Newspapers and News Group Newspapers in his ongoing cases against them. Key to his success will be getting Associated to disclose evidence of payments made to private investigators. Prince Harry's campaign is fighting against historical wrongdoing and the unethical practices of phone hacking, which became prevalent in the 90s and continued until the 2010s. The police investigations and the rise of social media have somewhat mitigated the problem. However, Prince Harry's call for the police to reopen their investigations and the new evidence provided by the case against Mirror Group could reignite the campaign. It is evident that Prince Harry's campaign has garnered him more enemies in the press, but he remains undeterred by this opposition.