Prince Harry’s lawyer announced Wednesday that he had reached a settlement with Rupert Murdoch’s British tabloids over allegations of illegal information gathering, an abrupt, anticlimactic end to a case Harry saw as the last chance to hold the tabloids accountable for years of predatory behavior.

The settlement, announced the day after the long-awaited trial was about to begin, spared News Group Newspapers damaging testimony about phone hacking and other illegal methods he allegedly used more than a decade ago to extract information about Harry and other high-profile figures. The News Group denies the allegations.

It also spared Harry, 40, the younger son of King Charles III, a heavy financial risk, regardless of how he fared in court. Under English law, Harry would have to pay the legal costs of both parties if the court did not award him an amount commensurate with what News Group Newspapers offered him in the settlement.

This is a developing story. Check again for updates.