Prince Harry and several prominent individuals have been ordered by London’s High Court to pay an interim sum of £9.54 million ($17.9 million Cdn) towards the legal expenses of the Daily Mail’s publisher following their unsuccessful privacy lawsuits. Judge Matthew Nicklin recently dismissed the case brought by Prince Harry and others, refuting allegations of unlawful activities such as phone hacking by the Mail titles.
Among the claimants were Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Elizabeth Hurley, Simon Hughes, and Doreen Lawrence, who sued Associated Newspapers. Nicklin criticized the claimants’ case, stating that serious allegations were based on speculative grounds, deeming their conduct highly unreasonable.
The ruling stated that the outstanding amount must be paid on an “indemnity basis,” meaning the losing party, including Prince Harry and the other claimants, must contribute to Associated’s legal costs without the publisher having to prove the costs were reasonable. Associated Newspapers welcomed the court decision as a victory for its journalism.
During a hearing in July, it was revealed that Associated had incurred legal expenses of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), while Prince Harry and the other claimants were covered by an insurance policy of only £16 million ($30 million Cdn). The claimants’ lawyer, Nicholas Bacon, remarked on the excessive nature of Associated’s legal bill.
The possibility of an appeal by the claimants remains uncertain, with no official statement from Prince Harry’s spokesperson following the court ruling. Earlier this summer, Prince Harry expressed disappointment over the court’s decision.
Prince Harry and Meghan recently announced their plans to return to the U.K. with their children after residing in southern California. This legal case marks the conclusion of a series of lawsuits filed by Prince Harry against tabloid publishers for alleged unlawful practices.
In a previous case, Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 (about $240,430 Cdn) for being a victim of phone-hacking and other illicit information gathering by journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers. Murdoch’s News Group in the U.K. issued an apology to Prince Harry for phone hacking and privacy breaches by its journalists and investigators. The court dismissed claims of a secret deal between Murdoch’s group and Buckingham Palace to prevent royal lawsuits.
Prince Harry made history in 2023 by becoming the first British royal to provide evidence in a trial in over a century. The court documents related to the ruling can be accessed for further details.
