Prince Harry and other well-known 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 publisher of the Daily Mail. This ruling comes after their privacy lawsuits were dismissed last month by Judge Matthew Nicklin, who rejected claims of unlawful activities, such as phone hacking, by the Mail titles.
Among the high-profile figures who were suing Associated Newspapers were singer Elton John, his Canadian spouse David Furnish, and actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley. The other claimants included former Liberal Democratic MP Simon Hughes and anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence.
Judge Nicklin criticized the claimants’ case, stating that serious allegations were based on speculative and inferential grounds, deeming their conduct highly unreasonable. The ruling mandates the outstanding amount to be paid on an indemnity basis, meaning the claimants must contribute to the publisher’s legal costs without the need for justification of reasonableness.
Associated Newspapers confirmed the ruling as a significant victory for their journalism. The court disclosed that Associated incurred legal costs of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), while Harry and the other claimants were covered by an insurance policy of £16 million ($30 million Cdn).
The claimants are yet to decide on appealing the ruling. Prince Harry’s spokesperson refrained from commenting on the decision. Notably, the prince had previously won a case against Mirror Group Newspapers, receiving £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) for unlawful information gathering.
In a separate case, News Group in the U.K. issued a public apology to Prince Harry for phone hacking and other privacy breaches, although the court dismissed claims of a secret deal with Buckingham Palace to deter royals from filing lawsuits. Prince Harry, Elton John, and other prominent figures in the U.K. lost their privacy lawsuits against the Daily Mail’s publisher, alleging widespread unlawful behavior.
In 2023, Prince Harry made history as the first British royal to provide evidence at a trial in over a century during this legal battle.