Hugh Grant settles privacy case against The Sun's publisher

Hugh Grant has settled his privacy case against the publisher of The Sun newspaper.

The Notting Hill actor, who was suing News Group Newspapers (NGN) for alleged phone hacking and unlawful information gathering, announced on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday that both parties had reached a settlement out of court.

In a lengthy thread, the British star explained that he didn't want to accept "the enormous sum of money" NGN offered to settle the case but eventually agreed for financial reasons.

"I would love to see all the allegations that they deny tested in court," he wrote. "But the rules around civil litigation mean that if I proceed to trial and the court awards me damages that are even a penny less than the settlement offer, I would have to pay the legal costs of both sides.

"My lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdoch's lawyers are very expensive. So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10 million in costs. I'm afraid I am shying at that fence."

Grant, 63, added that the settlement money had "a stink" about it and would not stop him from campaigning for a free and accountable press. He told his followers that he intends to give the undisclosed sum to the press standards campaign group Hacked Off "to expose the worst excesses of our oligarch-owned press".

The Four Weddings and a Funeral star, who is one of the directors of Hacked Off, was one of several cases that were deemed eligible for trial at London's High Court in January.

He previously settled a case against NGN in 2012 regarding its now-defunct News of the World newspaper.

NGN has denied any wrongdoing by staff at The Sun.