Even though Prince Harry is no longer close to many of his royal relatives, he’s maintained strong ties with the Spencer family on Princess Diana’s side. Last August, he traveled to the UK to attend the funeral of Diana’s brother-in-law, Lord Robert Fellowes. Now, his uncle Charles Spencer has publicly congratulated Harry following the news he’s come to a settlement with News Group Newspapers, the owner of The Sun tabloid, after more than five years of legal wrangling.
Spencer shared a screenshot from a BBC story announcing the settlement along with a comment that connects Harry’s fight against the British tabloids to Princess Diana’s experiences. “It takes an enormous amount of guts to take on major media organisations like this, and incredible tenacity to win against them,” Spencer wrote. “It’s wonderful that Harry also secured an apology for his mother—she would be immensely touched by this, I’m sure, and also rightly proud.”
The BBC later reported that the settlements for Harry and his co-complainant, former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson, cost NGN more than 10 million British pounds (or about $12 million), adding to the Rupert Murdoch–owned company’s more than 1 billion British pounds in payouts to settle claims over the long-running phone hacking scandal.
It’s not the first time that Spencer—no stranger to tabloid battles himself—has spoken up to support his nephew during Harry’s legal battle with NGN. In June 2023, days after the prince spent two days testifying about his case in front of the UK’s High Court, Spencer took to social media to rebuke a critic of Harry. “Pathetic,” Spencer wrote in response to a Daily Mail columnist. “You have no shame, and even less credibility.”
-
Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Big Business Ambitions, 5 Years After Their Royal Exit
-
Infighting. Panic. Blame. Inside the Democratic Party’s Epic Hangover