Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, reportedly earned a nickname from ex Spotify employees inspired by the character of a camp classic film starring Joan Crawford.

LONDON — Prince Harry claimed a monumental victory Wednesday as Rupert Murdoch's U.K. tabloids made an unprecedented apology for intruding in his life over decades and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit. Read More

The prince was right to fight – and also right about the need to stop good journalism being sullied by the bad. Trust has been severely damaged

The apology is “full and unequivocal”. The damages to be paid are huge. Appearing before the Leveson inquiry in 2011, Rupert Murdoch pronounced that to be “the most humble day of my life”. News Group’s settlement today of Prince Harry’s monumental case citing phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators may make this another such day. It appears to vindicate Harry, not just in complaints about his treatment by the Murdoch press, but also the intrusions into the life of his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales. One can only speculate about the sting of that within the Murdoch empire.

But if the best courtroom drama ends with a sense of justice being done and a triumphant winner, the long-awaited denouement is unlikely to win awards and the satisfaction for the victor, having settled the case must be – to some degree – limited. In this tale of celebrity, scandal and corruption there has been no obvious winner.

Jane Martinson is a Guardian columnist

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© Photograph: Bing Guan/Reuters

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© Photograph: Bing Guan/Reuters

NGN apologises to royal ‘for phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators’

The Duke of Sussex has settled his high court legal action at the eleventh hour against the publisher of the Sun, News Group Newspapers (NGN).

NGN offered “a full and unequivocal apology” to Prince Harry “for the phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information by journalists and private investigators instructed by them” at the News of the World.

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© Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

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© Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers gave Harry an “unequivocal apology,” admitting for the first time to unlawful activities at The Sun and agreeing to pay what it called substantial damages.

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A story of hazy memories, a reluctant rock star and a special day in 1973. Or was it 1974?

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