King Charles 'Directly [Requested]' The Case Be Dropped, Says Harry
In these cases, Prince Harry has alleged that the newspapers engaged in unlawful information gathering, with both journalists and private investigators working for The Sun, for example, illegally intruding into his personal life for years. By 2018, say court documents, Harry wanted to pursue a case against the papers, and according to the prince, Queen Elizabeth II supported this desire.
However, once the Duke wanted to move forward with legal action in 2019, the now-King, Prince Harry claims, attempted to stop him.
"I was summoned to Buckingham Palace and specifically told to drop the legal actions because they have an 'effect on all the family'," said Harry in legal documents. "This was a direct request (or rather demand) from my father, Edward Young, and my father's private secretary, Clive Alderton."
More shockingly, the Duke of Sussex alleges that not only did the Palace desire him to drop the charges, but in fact Buckingham Palace and News Group Newspaper also had apparently struck a "backroom deal" in 2012, in which courtiers secretly agreed that the Royal Family would not pursue legal action and, instead, NGN would eventually settle out-of-court, sparing both parties media embarrassment.
Said Harry: "The reason for this was to 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."
It seems that a major concern on the Royal Family's part was to avoid another embarrassing situation as that which occurred during Charles' marriage to Princess Diana, when an intimate phone call between Charles and the now-Queen Consort, Camilla, was intercepted and transcripts published—the notorious "Tampongate" scandal.
Prince William Was Paid 'A Very Large Sum'
In court statements, the prince alleges that not only did the family not want him to pursue legal action, but Prince William himself settled "off the books" with The Sun over his own phone-hacking claims. A payment was made to William in 2020, but the court documents do not specify what amount was paid or any further details, other than that it was a "very large sum".
To Harry, the whole issue is a matter of wanting to escape public scrutiny, to "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."
A spokesman for King Charles would not comment on the situation, and NGN has denied Harry's claims of a "secret agreement", stating that the whole story is "flatly inconsistent" with other claims made in the case.
This has all been part of the initial hearing—a judge will soon determine whether the claims will progress to trial, which would occur next year.