Prince Harry and other 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 Daily Mail publisher’s legal expenses following their unsuccessful privacy lawsuits. Last month, Judge Matthew Nicklin dismissed the case brought by the younger son of King Charles and others, rejecting claims of unlawful activities by the Mail titles like phone hacking.
Among the high-profile figures taking legal action against Associated Newspapers were singer Elton John and his spouse David Furnish, along with actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley. The list of claimants also included former Liberal Democratic MP Simon Hughes and anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence, who gained prominence after her son, Stephen, was killed in 1993.
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 payment of the outstanding amount on an “indemnity basis,” requiring Prince Harry and others to contribute to Associated’s legal expenses without the publisher having to justify the costs as reasonable and proportionate.
During a hearing in July, it was disclosed that Associated had amassed a legal bill of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), whereas Prince Harry and the other claimants were covered by an insurance policy up to £16 million ($30 million Cdn). The claimants’ lawyer, Nicholas Bacon, highlighted the exorbitant nature of Associated’s legal bill, which surpassed the agreed budget.
As of now, a decision on whether the claimants will appeal the ruling remains pending. Prince Harry’s spokesperson refrained from commenting on the matter. The prince had previously criticized the court’s decision earlier in the summer as a “complete and obvious whitewash.”
In a separate development, Prince Harry and Meghan recently announced their plans to relocate to the U.K., where they intend to enroll their children in school. This decision marks a return to Britain after a period spent in British Columbia and southern California, a move that surprised the British media.
The case represents the final legal battle in a series of lawsuits filed by Prince Harry against tabloid publishers for alleged unlawful practices. In a prior case, he was awarded £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) after the High Court found him to be a victim of phone hacking and other illicit information gathering by journalists at Britain’s Mirror Group Newspapers.
Prince Harry made history in 2023 by becoming the first British royal to provide testimony in a trial in over a century. In a separate significant case, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group in the U.K. issued a formal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the unauthorized phone hacking and privacy breaches conducted by journalists and private investigators. However, the court dismissed claims of a clandestine agreement between Murdoch’s newspaper group and Buckingham Palace to prevent royals from initiating legal action.
The court’s ruling can be accessed below for further details.