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.

News Group Newspapers offered an “unequivocal apology” to the prince for serious intrusion into his private life, as well as that of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

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.

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,

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

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

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been warned they'll become a "laughing stock" over a reported next project. Speaking of the rumours the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to release a book about relationships, royal expert Duncan Larcombe questioned whether Harry and Meghan would be "suitable people" to take on such a task.

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

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.

Prince Harry went to war with Britain’s tabloids when he filed multiple lawsuits against three powerful publishers: Associated Newspapers, Mirror Group and Murdoch’s News Group Newspapers.

Prince Harry won a major apology from Rupert Murdoch 's U.K. newspaper division, including for his mother—but the company stopped short of an apology for Meghan Markle.

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)