According to recent reports, the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry may be irreparably damaged due to Prince Harry's latest accusations about his older brother. In a lawsuit against News Group Newspapers (NGN) for alleged unlawful information-gathering, Prince Harry claimed that Prince William received "a very large sum of money" in a 2020 phone hacking settlement from Rupert Murdoch's media empire. Furthermore, he accused his brother of being part of an alleged agreement between the royal family and the media.
An unnamed friend of Prince William, as cited by the Daily Beast, claimed that the Prince of Wales may never forgive his younger brother for his actions. "This is scorched earth stuff from Harry. By revealing these secrets, he is burning everything to the ground. He is making it very clear that he considers his relationship with William is over," the friend said. International Business Times could not independently verify this information.
The friend also mentioned that Prince William would likely never trust Prince Harry again, stating, "The truth is William absolutely hates Harry now and will never forgive him for the damage he has done to the family."
Prince Harry's lawyer, David Sherborne, revealed the alleged payout during a summary of arguments on why the lawsuit against NGN should not be dismissed. The Duke of Sussex is suing the publisher of The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World over alleged unlawful information-gathering, including phone hacking.
NGN is currently attempting to have phone hacking lawsuits by Prince Harry and actor Hugh Grant dismissed, arguing that the claims were brought too late.
In his lawsuit, Prince Harry alleged that a "secret agreement" between the royal family and the newspapers prevented him from bringing his case forward. He claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth II approved the deal, which would have prevented future litigation from the royals. NGN has denied the existence of any secret agreement.
David Mellor, a British broadcaster, lawyer, and politician, also expressed his belief that Prince Harry's revelation about Prince William's alleged secret settlement with NGN may have ruined any chance of reconciliation with the royal family. Speaking on GB News, Mellor said, "Harry is not only destroying his life, but he's also destroying his ability to actually be accepted back into the royal family."
