Prince Harry (39) is still at odds with parts of the British press. He can now press ahead with a legal dispute with the publisher of “The Sun” as planned. The British media report this unanimously. According to the Telegraph, Harry has won the latest skirmish surrounding his lawsuit against News Group Newspapers (NGN). The High Court rejected an application by NGN to postpone the trial.
Accordingly, there were calls for the process to be postponed so that the court could get an idea of whether lawsuits from Harry and other people might have been filed too late. However, according to the judge, this would likely postpone the proceedings for another two years, which would result in significant additional costs. It is already a “very expensive legal dispute”. The process should still begin as planned next January.
Accordingly, the judge is of the opinion that there are currently too few advantages to interrupting the preparations for the legal dispute, which have been going on for years, and clarifying another issue. The case is about allegedly illegal methods used by journalists and private detectives to obtain information for the “Sun”. The publisher denies the allegations.
Actor Hugh Grant (63) recently reached an out-of-court agreement with NGN. This was also about violating his privacy. Grant accused NGN of journalists using private investigators to tap his phone and break into his house. NGN had denied the allegations. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Grant explained on Platform X that he had been forced to come to an agreement. He noted, among other things, that he had been offered a large sum of money to settle the matter out of court – as is “usual for completely innocent people.” Although he would like to go to court, there is a risk that he would have to cover both sides’ legal fees, which could amount to around ten million pounds. The money has a “stench” and he will make it available to groups like “Hacked Off” that support victims of press abuse.