Dear Gossips,   

A win today for Prince Harry today as it was announced that he’s agreed to a settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers in his lawsuit accusing them of information hacking and invasion of privacy. 

 

There has been speculation about a settlement over the last few days as the trial was to get underway and we know now that there were likely negotiations happening behind the scenes. Over the money? I mean, of course, the money is significant. But more importantly, it was the admission of wrongdoing – “a full and unequivocal apology”. And not just a “we’re sorry you feel that way” but a lengthy statement that is SPECIFIC about all the sh-t they’re apologising for and the impact their f-ckery had on his life and experiences. 

 

That includes: 

-serious intrusion into his private life

-unlawful activities carried out by private investigators

-phone hacking

-surveillance

-misuse of private information 

 

This, for Harry, would be more important than the money. As the New York Times notes, it is “ the first time News Group has admitted wrongdoing involving [The Sun]”. Which is why his co-claimant basically called him a badass outside the courthouse today – in much more elegant language, obviously. 

Prince Harry, a predator, hunting the big beasts of the tabloid jungle. 

 

Would it have been more fun to watch him take them down in court and be held accountable by the law? Sure. But this decision “also spared Harry… from heavy financial risk, regardless of how he had fared in court. Under a part of English law aimed at resolving disputes out of court where possible, Harry would have been required to pay the legal costs of both sides unless the court awarded him an amount equal to what News Group Newspapers offered him in the settlement. The last minute deal underscored the unforgiving economics for private individuals taking on deep-pocketed corporations in Britain. Mr. Murdoch’s companies have used lucrative payoffs to avert trials in some 1,300 cases stemming from the phone hacking scandal.” 

The victory is in getting to walk away from this and saving money but also time, and getting them to tell on themselves and acknowledge how they did him dirty. 

Although, of course, the tabloids are still gonna tabloid. I went and checked the Daily Mail shortly after the announcement and, at least when I looked, it may have changed now, they had it below the fold and shoved into a corner. As much as they’re trying to minimise it, though, it’s a huge headline in Harry’s favour. 

 

And the timing couldn’t be better. It’s a new year, and the Sussexes are expected to make some moves. So far there have been some minor setbacks but with the resolution of this case, and the way Harry’s been vindicated with this apology, they can build on this momentum going forward. It’s a reset, just in time for Lunar New Year and the Year of the Snake. 

Harry is a Rat. As I mentioned the other day in my post about Lewis Hamilton, also a Rat, the Rat and the Snake have very good potential together. But you know what’s considered the luckiest sign during the Year of the Snake?

Rooster. 

You know who’s a Rooster? 

Meghan Markle. 

Maybe it’ll end up being a very good thing that she’s delayed the launch of her brand. If she’d consulted a Chinese astrologist, they would have told her that as a Rooster, waiting for the rise of the Snake might be a fortuitous move. 

Yours in gossip, 

Lainey