Sequel to Prince Harry’s Feud With British Tabloids Begins in High-Stakes Trial

TIME

The sequel to Prince Harry vs. the British tabloids begins Tuesday in a high-stakes trial pitting him against Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers that could cost him millions even if he wins.

Transcript

00:00I've been asked to read out a statement on behalf of the Duke of Sussex and Lord Watson.

00:08In a monumental victory today, News UK have admitted that The Sun, the flagship title

00:16for Rupert Murdoch's UK media empire, has indeed engaged in illegal practices. This

00:24represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into

00:30settling without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them. After endless

00:38resistance, denials and legal battles by newsgroup newspapers, including spending more than a

00:45billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs, as well as paying off those in the know in

00:52order to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK is finally held to account for

00:59its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law. It has also specifically admitted

01:06wrongdoing against Tom Watson and admitted unlawful acts by The Sun, as well as by the

01:13News of the World against Prince Harry. The truth that has now been exposed is that newsgroup

01:20newspapers unlawfully engaged more than 100 private investigators over at least 16 years

01:27on more than 35,000 occasions. This happened as much at The Sun as it did at the News of

01:36the World, with the knowledge of all the editors and executives going to the very top of the

01:43company. What's even worse is that in the wake of the 2006 arrest of a royal correspondent,

01:52there was an extensive conspiracy to cover up what had really been going on and who knew

01:58about it. Senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting over 30 million emails,

02:07destroying backup tapes and making false denials, all in the face of an ongoing police

02:15investigation. They then repeatedly lied under oath to cover their tracks, both in court

02:23and at the Leveson Public Inquiry. At her trial in 2014, Rebecca Brooke said,

02:32When I was editor of The Sun, we ran a clean ship. Now, ten years later, when she is CEO

02:39of the company, they now admit when she was editor of The Sun, they ran a criminal enterprise.

02:47Today's result has been achieved only through the sheer resilience of Prince Harry and Tom

02:51Watson, whose willingness to take newsgroup newspapers to trial has led directly to this

02:57historic admission of unlawfulness at The Sun. It has only been by taking newsgroup

03:04not just to the steps of court, but inside the courtroom itself, that these claimants

03:10have finally managed to extract this historic admission of guilt. As a direct result of

03:17him taking a stand, Prince Harry and his immediate family have also had to repeatedly withstand

03:23aggressive and vengeful coverage since starting his claim over five years ago. This has created

03:30serious concerns for the security of him and his family.

03:36The rule of law must now run its full course. Prince Harry and Tom Watson join others in

03:43calling for the police and Parliament to investigate not only the unlawful activity now finally

03:49admitted, but the perjury and cover-ups along the way. It is clear now that this has occurred

03:57throughout this process, including through sworn evidence in inquiries and court hearings,

04:03in testimony to Parliament, and until today's final collapse of newsgroups' defence.

04:10Today the lies are laid bare. Today the cover-ups are exposed. And today proves that no one

04:17stands above the law. The time for accountability has arrived.

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