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Prince Harry has settled a legal case against the publisher of the Sun over claims of unlawful intrusion into his life after it agreed to pay “substantial damages” and offer an “unequivocal apology”.

The Duke of Sussex alleged journalists and private investigators working for News Group Newspapers (NGN) used unlawful techniques to pry on his private life – and executives then allegedly covered it up.

NGN apologised for “serious intrusion” by the Sun between 1996 and 2011, and admitted “incidents of unlawful activity” were carried out by private investigators working for the newspaper, in a statement read out in court.

It also apologised for distress it caused Harry through the “extensive coverage” and “serious intrusion” into the private life of his late mother, Princess Diana.

The BBC understands the settlements to both Prince Harry and former Labour deputy leader Lord Tom Watson have cost NGN more than £10m in pay outs and legal fees.

In total NGN has spent upwards of £1bn in damages and costs to those who claim their phones were hacked and their privacy invaded by the News of the World and the Sun.

The settlement was announced after barrister David Sherborne, representing Harry, asked the judge to delay the start of the High Court trial on Tuesday, as the two sides were involved in potential settlement talks.

When he launched his claim, the prince alleged that more than 200 articles published by NGN between 1996 and 2011 contained information gathered by illegal means.

He repeatedly said he wanted the case to go to trial so that he could get “accountability” for other alleged victims of unlawful newsgathering.

NGN was “surprised by the serious approach by Prince Harry for settlement in recent days”, a source told the BBC.

A source close to the Duke of Sussex responded that the apology “provides all the insight you need”.

Speaking outside court on behalf of Prince Harry, Mr Sherborne described the settlement as a “monumental victory”, and said NGN had been “finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law”.

Lord Watson, meanwhile, had alleged his phone was targeted around the time he was investigating newspapers owned by Rupert Murdoch while an MP, at the height of the phone-hacking scandal almost 15 years ago.

NGN also issued an apology to Lord Watson for intrusion into his private life by those working for the News of the World, including “being placed under surveillance” by journalists and people instructed by them.

After the settlement was announced, Lord Watson told reporters: “I wish they had left my family alone. Today, I’m glad they have finally accepted responsibility.”

Describing the snooping by NGN staff as “industrial in scale”, he said its owner Rupert Murdoch should offer “a personal apology” to Prince Harry, as well as any others affected.

Lord Watson added that the legal team behind the case would pass a dossier to the Metropolitan Police.

A Met spokesperson said it noted the outcome of the case, adding that there were “no active police investigations into allegations of phone hacking or related matters”.

NGN said in a statement its settlement “draws a line under the past” and “brings an end to this litigation”.

It added: “Lord Watson’s phone was not hacked in 2009-11 and had this gone to trial, NGN would have called evidence from telecoms experts to demonstrate that hacking after 2007 was nigh on impossible due to security upgrades undertaken by telecoms companies.”

The apology also covers incidents of unlawful activities carried out by private investigators working for the Sun newspaper from 1996-2011, the statement said – but “not by journalists”.

The references to the Sun in the apology were key, as without it the prince would not have settled.

NGN has already apologised for unlawful practices at the now-defunct News of the World, but previously denied similar claims against the Sun – as well as Prince Harry’s wider allegation of a corporate-wide cover-up.

While it admitted no illegality, NGN acknowledged in its apology that its response to the arrests in 2006 of News of the World staff who hacked royal phones and those of celebrities – and its subsequent actions – were “regrettable”.

Journalist Clive Goodman and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator, were later jailed for intercepting voicemails on phones belonging to the princes’ aides.

By agreeing to a settlement, NGN has avoided eight weeks of slowly revealed allegations.

Now the court will not test the claims that senior executives deliberately obstructed justice by deleting emails and taking part in a cover up of evidence. This is “strongly denied” by NGN.

And there will not be damaging headlines about press intrusion into the royal family and the heart of government.

Former editor of the Sun, Kelvin MacKenzie, said it would have been “massively damaging” had the company’s chief executive Rebekah Brooks been forced to give evidence at a trial.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s The World at One programme, he said he was “astonished” by NGN’s admissions in its statement.

“There was always going to come a day like this, and [Prince] Harry’s pursued it. [NGN] are on the back foot and there is probably nothing else they could do.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said it was “a significant day and a big relief” for the two claimants.

She told The World At One she did not believe a second-stage Leveson inquiry into press practices was “fit for purpose”, but said families from the Hacked Off campaign group were preparing a “thorough briefing” about the changes they believe are required.

She said the government had to work with the families and the media to make sure “we strike that right balance and we protect a free and fair press”.

Harry was 12 when his mother, the Princess of Wales, was killed in a car crash in a Paris tunnel while being followed by paparazzi. He has suggested tabloid newspapers played a role in her death.

Last year he said the tabloid press had been “central” to the breakdown of his relationship with the rest of the Royal Family.

He has also settled a case against Mirror Group Newspapers alleging the publishers had gathered information on him in unlawful ways from 1996 to 2010.