Whispers rippled through the court in the moments before Prince Harry’s lawyer sensationally revealed a settlement had been reached with Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

The conservative media mogul’s British newspapers division, known as News Group Newspapers (NGN), offered a “full and unequivocal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the serious intrusion by The Sun between 1996 and 2011 into his private life,

UPDATED 06.42 a.m. PT: There has been high drama on the first day in the trial of Prince Harry versus Rupert Murdoch ‘s News Group Newspapers (NGN), with a settlement deal now “very close,” according to NGN’s lawyer.

Another court victory in Harry’s campaign to hold the press to account, but what are the broader implications?

Harry won an apology and damages from Rupert Murdoch’s U.K. tabloids. Could the lawsuit’s end also help heal the rift with his brother, William, and his father, King Charles III?

Prince Harry and his legal team have struck a last-minute settlement deal with a newspaper group for invasion of privacy — the same week the case was set to go trial.

A legal battle brought by Prince Harry against the publisher of The Sun newspaper, owned by media mogul Rupert Murdoch, kicked off at the High Court in London on Tuesday, without Prince Harry in attendance and with several delays.

Rupert Murdoch shut down his News of the World tabloid after revelations about hacking, but his News Group Newspapers has denied broader wrongdoing at that outlet or any wrongdoing at the Sun tabloid. (Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Prince Harry has settled with Rupert Murdoch's NGN and received an apology over The Sun and News of the World claims.

Prince Harry’s lawsuit against the publisher of The Sun took another twist Tuesday when the trial was delayed by last-minute settlement negotiations.It follows two decades of legal drama over the cutthroat practices of the British press in the days when newspapers sold millions of copies and shaped the popular conversation.

As a new court case begins, we look into the background of Prince Harry's unprecedented crusade against the British tabloid industry. View on euronews

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