Why Hugh Grant's Settlement Isn't Necessarily a Blow to Prince Harry
Grant's settlement with The Sun and the larger goal of media reform
On Wednesday, April 17th 2024 it was announced that actor Hugh Grant accepted a settlement from the publisher of The Sun.
The actor took to Twitter (X) in a series of tweets explaining his decision to settle out of court. Here’s a snippet of it:
Basically, Grant could have rejected the offer, gone to court, won, and still ended up paying the costs for both his lawyers AND Murdoch’s, which would likely amount to more than the monetary damages awarded. Grant alleged that he would end up owing somewhere around £10 million.
Structural advantages in a legal system that reward those with the deepest pockets? You don’t say!
This news has been framed as a major blow to the larger case Prince Harry and others are waging against News Group Newspapers (NGN) for illegal information gathering practices. Although Grant’s settlement has no bearing on the “merits of his claim”, Prateek Swaika, partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, told Jess Glass, PA Law Editor, it is positioned as a “win” for NGN and a loss for Grant…and potentially Prince Harry.
(I included Rolling Stone on the bottom right because of how differently Grant’s settling is framed in a U.S. outlet.)
Hugh Grant will not have his day in court against The Sun. For someone who has been vocal about media malfeasance, not having his allegations tested in a court of law—allegations which NGN has strenuously denied—is an individual loss. But what of the larger goal?
The Larger Goal: Media Reform
Grant stated that he will give his settlement money to Hacked Off, a campaign founded in 2012 for a free and accountable British press, of which he is a board member. NGN’s money is now going to a campaign for media accountability. An optimistic view of this is that they are, in some ways, funding their demise. A more realistic take is that they are betting the money they offered Grant is nothing compared to what they would lose if this case went to trial. Evidence presented in a public trial that could irreparably damage their reputation. Not only did NGN prevent one case from moving to trial, they didn’t have to admit any wrongdoing. For now, their hands are still ‘clean’.
Prince Harry and The Mirror Group
Then there is Prince Harry, who has shown no signs of stopping until he has his day in court. NGN is one of the big British publishers the Duke of Sussex has waged years-long legal battles against. Most recently, Prince Harry was successful in his bid to prove that The Mirror Group had engaged in phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering practices against him. It was no longer just an allegation and has spurred larger conversations about the ‘role’ Piers Morgan—then editor—played in any of this—allegations he has strenuously denied.
(Author Omid Scobie testified in the trial that he had witnessed Morgan discussing voicemail interception while he was an intern. I had a chance to speak to Scobie about it during our Endgame conversation. It’s in the beginning of this video.)
Notably, after the win the Duke reiterated that, “We call again for the authorities to uphold the rule of law and to prove that no one is above it.”
That is the endgame.
It’s not about money; it’s about structural change. It’s about making it to trial to force these allegations and evidence into public view. Winning a civil case is only one piece of the pie. It’s about building a larger case for criminal investigations to show the media that there are consequences for bad—illegal—behavior. I don’t think these civil suits are going to bankrupt these large media conglomerates, especially given how much smaller £££ amounts rewarded in civil trials are in the U.K. versus the U.S. But what they really don’t want is anything resembling an honest criminal investigation, or, if not Leveson II, something similar with proposed changes for media reform that whoever the PM is at that time doesn’t ignore (looking at you David Cameron).
This is what Harry wants. This is what Hugh wants. So, in that regard, Hugh doesn’t necessarily have to go to trial in Jan. 2025 to take on The Sun. He can still support the larger effort and celebrities—including the King’s youngest son, who are focused on bringing their cases to trial. No one can slay dragons on their own.
Eyes on the prize.
-Meredith