LONDON, Jan 22 (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.

Here are details of the case:

WHAT WAS THE CASE ABOUT?

Harry was suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) over alleged

unlawful activities carried out by journalists and private

investigators working for its papers, The Sun and the now

defunct News of the World, from 1996 until 2011.

The prince and former senior British lawmaker Tom Watson

were the only two claimants left to go to trial, after others

reached a deal, including actor Hugh Grant, who reluctantly

settled.

NGN, which is ultimately owned by News Corp ( NWSA ), has

settled claims from more than 1,300 people including

celebrities, politicians and sports figures.

The publisher closed the News of the World in 2011 after the

phone-hacking scandal first emerged, but had always denied

claims of unlawful activity at The Sun - until Wednesday.

While NGN's apology stopped short of admitting unlawful

activities by journalists working for The Sun, referring only to

private investigators, Harry's lawyer said the agreement

represented vindication for those who had previously settled.

In their joint statement, Harry and Watson said NGN had now

paid out more than 1 billion pounds.

WHAT IS THE PHONE-HACKING SCANDAL?

Phone-hacking, the illegal interception of voicemails on

mobile phones, first came to public attention in 2006 when the

then-royal editor of the News of the World tabloid and a private

investigator were arrested.

They pleaded guilty and were jailed in 2007. In 2011 further

revelations emerged, including that a murdered schoolgirl had

been targeted, leading to Murdoch closing the paper.

The scandal also led to a high-profile public inquiry into

the ethics of the British press and a criminal trial, following

which former News of the World editor Andy Coulson was found

guilty of conspiracy to hack phones and jailed in 2014.

Rebekah Brooks, a former editor of the News of the World and

The Sun, was acquitted of all charges and later returned to

Murdoch's publishing empire. She currently heads up News Corp's ( NWSA )

UK operation.

HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THE SETTLEMENT?

Harry's legal team hailed the deal as a huge victory, with

NGN admitting unlawful activity at The Sun for the first time -

something the publisher had repeatedly sought to prevent, even

as it settled "Sun-only" lawsuits from Grant and Sienna Miller.

But for NGN and senior executives - including Brooks, the

chief executive of News UK - avoiding eight weeks of negative

headlines and extensive evidence being made public in a trial

may also feel like a win.

The judge, Timothy Fancourt, acknowledged that the deal

makes it highly unlikely that a trial of allegations of phone

hacking and other unlawful information gathering at The Sun and

News of the World would ever take place.

NGN for its part said Wednesday's deal "draws a line under

the past and brings an end to this litigation", adding that it

would apply to throw out any further cases which may be brought.

However, the claimants are expected to turn their focus to

putting pressure on politicians and the police to revisit the

phone-hacking scandal in the light of Wednesday's apology.

Speaking outside court, Watson laid down the gauntlet to

Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Metropolitan Police chief Mark

Rowley, saying the claimants intend to provide the police with a

"dossier exposing wrongdoing".

WHO ELSE IS PRINCE HARRY SUING?

The NGN case is one of three major lawsuits that Harry has

pursued against British media organisations. He successfully

sued Mirror Group Newspapers, winning substantial damages after

a 2023 trial, and is also suing the publisher of the Daily Mail

and Mail on Sunday, which is due to go to trial in 2026.