Prince Harry’s Win Against NGN Sparks Questions About Whether ‘This Was It’
Hannah Furness, a royal editor for *The Telegraph*, raised some pointed questions following Prince Harry's recent win against News Group Newspapers (NGN).
In her commentary, Furness reflected on the unexpected outcome, writing, "Prince Harry, our noble dragon slayer, has laid down his sword," referring to the rapid out-of-court settlement reached just moments into what was supposed to be a 10-week trial.
For Furness, this outcome was a surprise. She noted that this was the “last thing anyone expected,” especially considering the Duke’s longstanding claim that holding the media accountable and pushing for a public inquiry into press misconduct was his “life’s work.”
Despite acknowledging that the settlement represents a “personal, emotional success” for Prince Harry, Furness pointed out some key issues that remain unresolved. “While it cannot be ignored that this is a personal victory for Prince Harry,” she writes, “the full and unequivocal settlement didn’t address critical issues like phone hacking, surveillance, or the misuse of private information.”
This, she argues, raises the question of how long the elation of the personal win will last. “As the adrenaline wears off,” she wonders, “will this sense of triumph give way to deflation for a man who has called holding the British press to account his ‘life’s work’?”
Having positioned himself as a champion of the voiceless, Furness observes that, in a sense, Prince Harry is “back among them” by not having taken the stand. "His quest to bring down part of the Murdoch empire," she concludes, "has ended in a fizzle rather than a bang."
