Steven Barnett speaks to Le Monde about Prince Harry’s High Court case against Mirror Group Newspapers

Steven Barnett recently spoke to Le Monde about a High Court judgement that awarded Prince Harry all his costs following his successfully litigation against Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) last June. The article discusses how Prince Harry, son of King Charles III, then testified as the main plaintiff in a case against MGN for phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering into his private life. This was the first time in over a century that a British royal had appeared in court, with Harry determined to change the British media landscape through his legal battles against tabloids like the Daily Mirror and the Mail newspapers as well as News Group newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch. Alongside his wife Meghan Markle, Harry is also pursuing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited and News Group Newspapers for illegal information gathering. Despite some setbacks, including withdrawing a lawsuit against the Mail in January, Harry remains committed to his mission, stating that his life’s purpose is to reform the British media.

In the article Steven Barnett notes that News Group have so far paid out over a billion pounds in settling phone hacking claims and legal fees. He also described how claimants are obliged to settle when made reasonable offers by the publisher because the costs of going to court are potentially ruinous.

The full article was published by Le Monde on 5th February 2024.

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