Why Prince Harry has cancelled his upcoming trip to the UK
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been front and centre this season. And from their recent community work amid the LA wild fires, to reports of high praise from their neighbours, they have been all anyone can talk about.
This week, it was Prince Harry who made headlines, as the 40-year-old royal who was set to return to the UK this month cancelled his trip.
The Duke of Sussex was set to visit London next week in order to testify in court, as part of his High Court trial against News Group Newspapers, with Prince Harry accusing them of unlawful information gathering, namely phone hacking.
However, it was revealed this week that Prince Harry and News Group Newspapers had settled out of court, with Prince Harry's lawyer David Sherborne confirming that "the parties have reached an agreement".
Following the news, Prince Harry's UK visit has reportedly been cancelled, with the trial "vacated".
"I am pleased to announce to the court that the parties have reached an agreement," declared Prince Harry's barrister David Sherborne in a statement read in court. "As a result of the parties reaching an agreement, I would ask formally that the trial is vacated.
"NGN offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life, including incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for The Sun.
"NGN also offers a full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them at the News Of The World."
Prince Harry also reportedly received an apology for his late mother, Princess Diana, as part of the settlement.
"NGN further apologises to the Duke for the impact on him of the extensive coverage and serious intrusion into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years," Sherborne's statement concluded.
"It takes an enormous amount of guts to take on opponents like News Group Newspapers, and great tenacity to win," Princess Diana's brother Earl Spencer posted to X, following the news. "And it’s just wonderful that Harry fought for - and gained - an apology to his mother. She would be incredibly touched at that, & rightly proud."
We will continue to update this story.
