LONDON: Prince Harry settled on Wednesday his long-running lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloid publisher, which agreed to pay him “substantial damages” after admitting intruding into his private life, including by hacking his phone.

LONDON (Reuters) - Prince Harry claimed victory in his long-running legal battle against Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper group, after reaching a deal to settle his lawsuit which included an apology for unlawful actions relating to the Sun for the first time.

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

News Group Newspapers offered a “full and unequivocal apology” to Harry for the “serious intrusion” into his private life by the Sun between 1996 and 2011.

Prince Harry claimed a "monumental" victory over Rupert Murdoch's UK newspaper group on Wednesday after the publisher settled his lawsuit, admitting unlawful actions at its Sun tabloid for the first time and paying substantial damages.

Harry pulled the plug on a high stakes lawsuit against a Rupert Murdoch-owned British tabloid after receiving an apology.

Prince Harry has settled his High Court privacy invasion case against the publisher of The Sun on what was due to be the first day of a weeks-long civil trial - in an "extraordinary" development.

Rupert Murdoch’s UK publishing business has paid out more than £1bn over the phone-hacking scandal and its subsequent legal fees, with the latest settlement involving Prince Harry reported to be at least £10m.

Prince Harry, who spent five years pursuing Murdoch's papers, declared it a "vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling, without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them".

Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers settled with the royal, offering him an “unequivocal apology” for invading his privacy.

A years-long crusade against media intrusion reached a dramatic conclusion Wednesday as Prince Harry secured a landmark settlement with Rupert Murdoch‘s News Group Newspapers, including a public apology and damages reportedly exceeding $12 million.