Prince William received a “very large sum” of money from the Sun to clear phone-hacking claims.
Papers lodged at the High Court in London show there was a “secret agreement” between Buckingham Palace and News Group Newspapers (NGN) – publishers of the Sun and the now defunct News of the World.
Prince Harry is also suing NGN over alleged unlawful information being gained.
However, NGN lawyers argue that Harry has “run out of time” to make a valid claim.
In a submission on his behalf, Harry’s legal team said a deal had been agreed between NGN and the “institution” – Buckingham Palace – to hold off any claims until other outstanding phone-hacking litigation was settled.
The document added:
“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.
It said NGN had settled with William “for a very large sum of money in 2020”.
Prince Harry said Buckingham Palace “wanted to avoid at all costs” the reputational damage caused by publication in the 1990s of details of an “intimate telephone conversation” between Charles and the now Queen Consort Camilla, when his father was still married to his mother Princess Diana.