Prince William Reportedly Received 'Large Sum' From Murdoch Media Group in Wiretap Case

The lawsuit at the center of the revelations was filed on behalf of Prince Harry, who is striking back at the Murdock-led News Group Newspaper holding for its illegal phone hacking practices.

Prince William, heir to the British throne, reportedly received "a very large sum" in 2020 from the News Group Newspapers (NGN) media holding as part of secret agreement between Buckingham Palace and the publisher.

The findings were made through legal materials relating to a lawsuit filed by Prince Harry, who is suing Rupert Murdoch's News Group Newspapers over unlawful practices dating back to the mid-1990s.

Prince Harry has claimed that the royal family and the top management of NGN came to a secret agreement whereby royal members postponed legal proceedings in court in exchange for a later "apology." According to the Duke of Sussex, this was done to avoid a public trial.

"It is important to bear in mind that in responding to this bid by NGN to prevent his claims going to trial, the claimant has had to make public the details of this secret agreement, as well as the fact that his brother, His Royal Highness, Prince William, has recently settled his claim against NGN behind the scenes," the court filings said, as quoted by media.

At the same time, NGN denied the existence of such a secret agreement, and a spokesman for Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the ongoing trial.

Meanwhile, lawyers representing Prince Harry said the late Queen Elizabeth gave the duke permission in 2017 to seek the truth in court and try to get a personal apology from Murdoch.

The hearing on the case will take place after the coronation of King Charles III and will decide whether the case will go to trial. It marks just one of four cases being pursued by Prince Harry against UK media.

Allegations of hacking by British tabloids began to surface in the late 2000s, with the editor of the defunct News of the World and a private investigator later going on to be convicted in 2007 for the illegal practice. Talk of the unlawful behavior resurfaced in 2010 after it was determined that British police had been complicit.

It was previously noted that William's voicemails had been hacked upwards of 30 times, with Harry's just on nine occasions. The phone belonging to the Princess of Wales occurred more than 150 times.