Rupert Murdoch: Empire, Lawsuits, and the Battle for UK Media

Few people can claim to have changed how a country consumes news, let alone three. Rupert Murdoch’s journey from a single Australian newspaper to a global media empire worth $22.3 billion has been anything but quiet.

Net worth: $22.3 billion (Forbes, 2026) ·
Founded News Corp: 1979 ·
Major assets: Fox News, The Times, The Sun, The Wall Street Journal

Eight key facts that define the man and his reach.

What companies does Rupert Murdoch own?

News Corp assets

• The Wall Street Journal – acquired in 2007 with Dow Jones (The Guardian analysis)
• The Times and The Sunday Times – acquired in 1981 (BBC News profile)
• The Sun – flagship UK tabloid (Reuters report)
• HarperCollins – book publishing (Forbes billionaire ranking)
• Realtor.com – real estate services (The Guardian analysis)

Fox Corporation assets

• Fox News – launched 1996 (Reuters report)
• Fox Broadcasting – launched 1986 (The Guardian analysis)
• Fox Sports (Forbes billionaire ranking)

Former holdings

• 21st Century Fox – sold to Disney in 2019 for $71.3 billion (NPR report on settlement)
• Sky – sold to Comcast (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• News of the World – closed in 2011 (Media Reform Coalition timeline)

The pattern: Murdoch uses print to build political influence, then television to amplify it. His UK newspaper arm alone controls an estimated 70% of national circulation (Media Reform Coalition timeline).

The implication: Murdoch’s empire is structured to separate voting power from economic value, ensuring family control despite relatively modest personal liquidity.

Why is Prince Harry suing Rupert Murdoch?

Phone hacking allegations

• Claims date from 1996 to 2011 (Reuters report)
• Targets News Group Newspapers, publisher of The Sun and former publisher of News of the World (ABC News coverage)
• Allegations include illegal voicemail interception and use of private investigators (NPR report on settlement)

Legal case details

• Prince Harry first started legal action in 2019 (ABC News coverage)
• Settlement reached on 2025-01-22, with an apology from News Group Newspapers (Reuters report)
• Settlement worth more than £10 million, most covering legal expenses (sources familiar, per Reuters report)
• Harry could not amend his lawsuit to add allegations involving Meghan, and the court blocked claims against Murdoch personally (Reuters report via YouTube)

Current status

The case settled before trial, avoiding a public examination of Murdoch’s personal knowledge. The implication: Prince Harry achieved a financial settlement and a rare apology, but the question of who at the top knew what remains legally unanswered.

The pattern: Legal accountability for tabloid misconduct remains expensive and difficult, but the settlement marks a rare concession of wrongdoing from News Corp.

Why is Rupert Murdoch so famous?

Birth of the modern media mogul

• Started with a single afternoon newspaper inherited from his father in 1952 (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• Launched Australia’s first national daily, The Australian, in 1964 (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• Entered UK market by buying News of the World in 1969 (Media Reform Coalition timeline)

Influence on politics

Murdoch’s papers have endorsed winners in UK elections nearly every time since the 1980s. In the US, Fox News became the dominant Republican Party platform. The Guardian analysis notes his “help shape the media landscape in the UK, US and Australia.”

Expansion to the United States

• Purchased San Antonio Express-News in 1973 (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• Became US citizen in 1985 to acquire TV stations (Reuters report)
• Launched Fox Broadcasting in 1986, Fox News in 1996 (NPR report on settlement)

The catch: This equation works best when political leaders need media protection more than media needs political allies.

Is the Murdoch family still rich?

Current wealth

• Ranked #112 on Forbes 2026 Billionaires list (Forbes billionaire ranking)
• Net worth estimated at $22.3 billion
• Wealth derived from News Corp and Fox Corporation shares

Source of wealth

The family’s control structure uses a dual-class share system that gives the Murdochs voting power far beyond their economic stake. This has allowed Rupert to pass control to his son Lachlan without giving up the family grip on the board (The Guardian analysis).

Family succession

• Lachlan Murdoch succeeded as chairman of News Corp and Fox Corp in 2023
• A Nevada court case in 2024 revealed family tensions over control of the trust
• James Murdoch, once the heir apparent, has distanced himself from the company

Why this matters: The Murdoch family fortune isn’t liquid cash — it’s voting stock in two publicly traded companies. Any succession fight could affect the editorial direction of Fox News and The Wall Street Journal.

Are Donald Trump and Rupert Murdoch friends?

Relationship history

• Fox News provided Trump with a virtually uncritical platform during his presidency (The Guardian analysis)
• Murdoch and Trump spoke frequently by phone
• Murdoch’s New York Post and The Wall Street Journal editorial pages generally backed Trump

Recent dynamics

• Post-2020 election, Murdoch reportedly supported other Republican candidates
• Fox News occasionally aired criticism of Trump, prompting public attacks from the former president
• The relationship now alternates between pragmatism and coldness

The pattern: Murdoch backs winners. When Trump’s political fortunes looked weak, the editorial support wavered. For Republican strategists, the lesson is clear: Murdoch’s loyalty is to the party’s electability, not to any one candidate.

Who owns most of the UK media?

Murdoch’s UK holdings

• News Corp owns The Sun, The Times, The Sunday Times
• Formerly owned News of the World (closed 2011)
• Controls roughly 70% of UK national newspaper circulation (Media Reform Coalition timeline)

Other major owners

• Daily Mail – Lord Rothermere
• Telegraph Media Group – currently under ownership review by the UK government
• Guardian Media Group – owned by The Scott Trust
• Reach plc – publishes The Mirror, Daily Express

Regulatory concerns

The concentration of UK newspaper ownership among a handful of billionaires has prompted calls for tighter rules. The Prince Harry lawsuit has added pressure for a statutory regulator rather than the current self-regulatory system (Media Reform Coalition timeline).

What this means: The Prince Harry case has reopened a debate about statutory regulation that Murdoch has successfully fought off for decades.

Timeline

• 1931 – Born in Melbourne, Australia
• 1952 – Inherits The Adelaide News from his father (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• 1964 – Launches The Australian, first national daily (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• 1973 – Enters US market: buys San Antonio Express-News (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• 1979 – Founds News Corporation (BBC News profile)
• 1981 – Acquires The Times and The Sunday Times (BBC News profile)
• 1985 – Becomes US citizen; launches Fox Broadcasting (Reuters report)
• 1996 – Launches Fox News Channel (BBC News profile)
• 2007 – Acquires Dow Jones & Co. (Wall Street Journal) (The Guardian analysis)
• 2011 – Phone hacking scandal; News of the World closes (Media Reform Coalition timeline)
• 2019 – Sells 21st Century Fox to Disney for $71.3 billion (NPR report on settlement)
• 2023 – Steps down as chairman; Lachlan takes over
• 2025 – Prince Harry lawsuit settled (Reuters report)

The takeaway: Every major political shift in the UK and US over the past 50 years has had a Murdoch outlet amplifying one side.

What we know — and what we don’t

Confirmed facts

• Murdoch founded News Corp in 1979 (BBC News profile)
• His net worth is $22.3 billion (Forbes, 2026) (Forbes billionaire ranking)
• He has six children from four marriages (The Guardian analysis)
• Prince Harry’s lawsuit against News Group Newspapers settled in 2025 (Reuters report)
• Murdoch owns The Sun, The Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fox News (NPR report on settlement)

What’s unclear

• The exact terms of the settlement between Prince Harry and News Corp
• Whether Murdoch personally authorized the phone hacking at The Sun
• The current state of Murdoch’s relationship with Donald Trump
• The specific financial details of the Murdoch family trust and its voting power distribution
• Whether the phone hacking practices extended to other News Corp publications beyond The Sun and News of the World
• The full extent of editorial coordination between Fox News and the Trump administration

The distinction matters because the unanswered questions have direct implications for media regulation on both sides of the Atlantic.

Key voices

“I want to be part of a society that has a free press, but I also want to be part of a society that has a press that is responsible.”

— Prince Harry, legal statement (via ABC News coverage)

“It’s about control. He wants to control the news agenda, and he’s done that for decades.”

— Media analyst, as quoted by The Guardian analysis

“The settlement includes an apology from News Group Newspapers for unlawful conduct.”

— Reuters report

“Murdoch helped shape the media landscape in the UK, US and Australia through ownership of newspapers such as The Sun and The Times and broadcasters such as Sky and Fox News.”

— BBC News profile

For ongoing commentary on the Murdoch press, follow Marina Hyde’s columns. For more on billionaire media owners, see our profile of Nelson Peltz.

For UK readers, the Prince Harry settlement is more than a celebrity legal drama. It exposes the vulnerability of a media system where one family controls the majority of newspaper circulation. For Murdoch’s empire, the lesson is clear: the phones may have stopped hacking, but the scrutiny has only intensified. The coming years will test whether Lachlan can manage the same political influence without the same legal baggage.

For a deeper look into his legal battles and media empire, explore coverage that ties together the mogul’s ongoing lawsuits with his vast holdings and family succession.

Frequently asked questions