News Group Newspapers issued a public apology this week to Prince Harry for invading his privacy for years by hacking his phone and publishing private information about him. Prince Harry had sued News Group, which owns several British tabloids, and the apology was part of a settlement on the eve of trial.

The apology acknowledges The Sun newspaper’s “serious intrusion” into the Prince’s private life between 1996 and 2011, “including incidents of unlawful activities.” It also apologizes for News of the World’s “phone hacking, surveillance and misuse of private information.”

An essential element of an effective apology is to take responsibility; this apology does that. Acknowledgment of the specific harm done is also important, and this apology does that well, noting the intrusion “into his private life as well as the private life of Diana, Princess of Wales, his late mother, in particular during his younger years.” It also apologizes for the damage inflicted on his relationships.

Restitution is another essential element of a good apology; the News Group is paying Prince Harry “substantial damages.”

Two other elements of a good apology are weak here. One is regret or remorse. News Group might argue that this is implied in its use of the word “apologizes,” but this is typically done by use of the word “sorry.” That is missing. The recipient of an apology usually would also like to hear what the offender will do to avoid offending again. Will the payout and negative publicity be sufficient to reform NGN’s behavior?

Also notable is what is not in the apology, that could’ve weakened it. There’s no weak or indefinite language, like, “If we did anything to hurt you…” There are no excuses. There is no blaming (unless one wants to read that into the mention of “private investigators working for The Sun”).

This is a public apology by an entity; both of those circumstances make apologies more delicate. Given that, this is a pretty good apology.