While Prince Harry’s lawyers helped him win a major court victory in London Wednesday, along with “substantial damages” in his years-long battle against U.K. tabloid newspapers, he also turned up this week in photos with Salinas firefighters, showing his philanthropic side and support for first responders battling the wildfires in Los Angeles.
Yes, it’s been an eventful week for the Montecito-based Duke of Sussex. He had been scheduled to travel to London sometime in February to testify in his 10-week trial against the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspapers for unlawful intrusion into his life more than 15 years ago. But now he won’t need to, as his lawyers hammered out an eleventh-hour settlement on his behalf that is reported to be at least $12 million, according to the BBC and Telegraph.
The settlement included an “unequivocal” apology for “unlawful activities” carried out by private investigators working for The Sun from 1996 to 2011 and for phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information perpetrated by journalists and private investigators working at the now-defunct News of the World, the Telegraph reported. The publisher, News Group Newspapers, also apologized to Harry “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.”
It’s not clear, though, whether the settlement requires NGN to pay Harry’s legal costs, which was reported to be in the millions, or if the duke will have to pay those fees from the damages he collects.
But Harry has previously said that his legal fight wasn’t about the money and his attorneys hailed the settlement and NGN’s apology as a victory against a “hugely powerful media organization” and “a complete vindication” for the duke.
Harry, though, wasn’t in London to bask in his victory or to experience all the media fuss there over his court case. He was in California, and specifically Los Angeles where he and his wife Meghan Markle have been eager to be seen showing support for relief efforts for people impacted by the devastating Palisades and Eaton wildfires.
On Tuesday, the Salinas Fire Department revealed that Harry had paid a visit to its K9 therapy team, which had been dispatched to the Easton fire base camp in Pasadena over the weekend to work with Cal Fire and other agencies to provide mental health support to first responders and affected communities. On Instagram, Salinas fire shared photos of Harry posing with its therapy dogs Cruz and Taffy.
“In an inspiring turn of events, they also had the opportunity to meet Prince Harry, who is known for his philanthropic work and advocacy on various social issues, including disaster relief,” the fire department said. “This encounter not only boosted their morale but also emphasized the importance of community and collaboration in the face of such devastating challenges.”
The Eaton fire, which broke out on Jan. 7, raged through the unincorporated community of Altadena, near Pasadena, killing 17 people and destroying more than 7,000 homes and other structures.
Harry and Meghan previously visited Pasadena and Altadena, a few days after the outbreak of the Eaton fire and as the blaze was still burning out of control and the crisis was still unfolding. On one hand, they received glowing headlines for serving meals with Chef José Andrés’s World Central Kitchen and for visiting fire victims and first responders at the Pasadena Convention Center and Rose Bowl.
But other aspects of their visit stoked controversy and accusations that the couple were using the tragedy for a “photo op.” Published images showed them being given a private tour of burn areas by Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo — when fire victims had not yet been able to access their properties. Actor Justine Batemen called the couple “disaster tourists” in a viral post on X, largely because they no longer have any official status as self-exiled royals. TMZ founder Harvey Levin and his producers also lambasted the couple, questioning the “ill use of resources” on a celebrity couple who had no “purpose” in being in a disaster zone at that time.
Following the Altadena tour controversy, Harry and Meghan were hit with more bad publicity in the form of a lengthy and scathing cover story in Vanity Fair, which depicted Harry as a native, shallow and lonely figure who needs his wife to be the go-getter who earns them money. Meghan, meanwhile, faced a new round of allegations from current and past employees that she’s a “bullying” boss who has failed to make smart business decisions in her effort to be a media mogul, lifestyle influencer and global do-gooder.
Harry’s legal victory in London, no doubt, comes as good news for the ever-embattled couple, who stepped away from royal duties in 2020, citing intrusive and abusive treatment by the British tabloid media. But while his lawyer said he felt vindicated by what one British legal expert called “a colossal victory,” it’s questionable whether he really achieved the “closure” he was seeking.
Over the years, and as recently as December, Harry insisted that he would take Murdoch’s newspapers to trial so that he could fully expose the extent of their misdeeds in open court. Among other things, Harry and his co-plaintiff, senior Labour Party leader Tom Watson, were expected to present newly secured evidence to make the case that top executives at Murdoch newspapers ran an illegal cover-up of journalists’ phone-hacking and lied to police during the height of the scandal, NPR and the Daily Beast reported.
“The goal is accountability. It’s really that simple,” he told the New York Times’s annual DealBook summit. But now those allegations involving senior executives won’t be tested in court, at least not unless Harry gets his way and police in London launch an investigation into unlawful activity admitted the NGN, the Daily Beast said.