Speaking of the Prince Harry case and Corporate Spying… Let’s Talk About Shell

If you thought NGN was bad, just wait until you hear about Shell’s dirty tricks. While News Corp has been busy hacking phones, Shell has been spying on its own employees, critics  and whistleblowers for decades.

By John Donovan: Posted 22 January 25]

Prince Harry just pulled off what many thought was impossible—forcing one of the most powerful media empires to admit to its illegal, underhanded, and downright disgusting tactics. After a relentless five-year legal battle, News Group Newspapers (NGN) has finally folded, coughing up a full and unequivocal apology for years of unlawful surveillance, phone hacking, and privacy violations that targeted not just the Duke of Sussex, but thousands of others.

And let’s not forget: this is the same media empire that repeatedly lied under oath, destroyed 30 million emails to obstruct justice, and engaged in a massive cover-up to protect its most senior executives, including Rebekah Brooks, who once had the audacity to claim that, “When I was editor of The Sun, we ran a clean ship.” Sure, and now, a decade later, that “clean ship” turns out to have been a full-fledged criminal enterprise.

The Big Lie

NGN has spent more than a billion pounds trying to bury its sins, settling claim after claim to prevent the full truth from coming out. But Harry, refusing to be bullied, has now ensured that the record clearly shows the extent of the corruption.

The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World weren’t just engaged in the odd illegal scoop—they were systematically weaponizing private investigators to spy on celebrities, politicians, and even ordinary people, just to sell papers.

Let’s be absolutely clear: this was an operation that went straight to the top.

Not only was illegal surveillance being conducted for at least 16 years, but NGN’s leadership repeatedly tried to cover it up by deleting records and lying to Parliament and law enforcement. This is organized crime masquerading as journalism.

What Happens Now?

Prince Harry and former Deputy Labour Leader Tom Watson are now calling for a full parliamentary and police investigation into NGN’s perjury, obstruction of justice, and cover-ups. If Rupert Murdoch had a shred of decency, he would personally apologize, not just to Harry and his family, but to the thousands of people his media empire has violated, spied on, and smeared.

But let’s be honest—Murdoch isn’t going to do that. Because media conglomerates like his are built on corruption, intimidation, and deceit.

Speaking of the Prince Harry case and Corporate Spying… Let’s Talk About Shell

If you thought NGN was bad, just wait until you hear about Shell’s dirty tricks. While News Corp has been busy hacking phones, Shell has been spying on its own employees, critics  and whistleblowers for decades.

Shell has a long history of hiring Hakluyt, a private intelligence firm staffed by ex-MI6 operatives, to conduct covert surveillance on activists and journalists who dared to question the oil giant’s ruthless practices. Back in the 1990s, Shell admitted to using undercover spies to infiltrate groups that opposed their operations.

Fast forward to recent years, and Reuters reported a global Shell espionage program targeting employees and John Donovan, who have been a well known vocal critic about Shell’s underhand business practices for decades.

How can you tell if the allegations on his website about Shell’s spying are true? Simple—ask yourself this: how has it remained online for so many years if its claims were baseless?

Common sense suggests that if the allegations and supporting evidence were unfounded, Shell—one of the world’s most ruthless and litigation-happy corporations—would have buried both the site and its owner, John Donovan, under a mountain of legal action.

Instead, Shell has wisely chosen to do nothing, a silence that speaks volumes. Because sometimes, the best way to avoid an even bigger scandal is to not challenge the truth.

BlackRock and Vanguard are two of Shell’s largest shareholders—but for how much longer will they continue backing a company mired in ethical scandals and corporate misconduct? At what point do they stop turning a blind eye to Shell’s track record of environmental destruction, human rights abuses, and covert spying operations? Investors claim to prioritize sustainability and corporate responsibility—so why are they still propping up one of the world’s most ethically bankrupt corporations?

The Common Thread: Power, Greed, and Zero Accountability

Prince Harry’s legal victory has blown the lid off a scandal that was hiding in plain sight. But NGN is just one head of the hydra. Corporate espionage, media manipulation, and outright criminal activity are deeply entrenched in the world’s most powerful institutions.

If this case has taught us anything, it’s that no one is too big to be exposed. The only question now is: who’s next?

 

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.