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 Daily Mail’s publisher following the dismissal of their privacy lawsuits. Judge Matthew Nicklin recently ruled against the case brought by Prince Harry and others, refuting claims of unlawful activities such as phone hacking by the Mail titles.
Among the notable personalities suing Associated Newspapers were singer Elton John, his spouse David Furnish, actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley, former Liberal Democratic MP Simon Hughes, and anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence. Nicklin criticized the claimants’ case, stating that serious allegations were based on speculative grounds, deeming their conduct highly unreasonable.
The ruling mandates the payment to be made on an “indemnity basis,” meaning the claimants must contribute to the legal fees of Associated Newspapers without the publisher having to demonstrate the reasonableness of the costs. Associated Newspapers hailed the decision as a significant win for their journalism.
During a court hearing in July, it was disclosed that Associated had accumulated legal expenses of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), surpassing the claimants’ insurance coverage of £16 million ($30 million Cdn). The claimants’ lawyer, Nicholas Bacon, criticized the exorbitant nature of Associated’s legal bill, which far exceeded the agreed budget.
The claimants have not yet indicated whether they will appeal the ruling. Prince Harry’s spokesperson remained silent on the matter, following Harry’s previous characterization of the court loss as a “whitewash.” Harry and Meghan’s decision to return to the UK after residing in California for six years has made headlines, with plans to enroll their children in British schools.
This legal battle marks the culmination of a series of lawsuits Harry initiated against tabloid publishers for alleged unlawful practices. Previously, Harry was awarded £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) in damages after the High Court determined he had been a victim of phone hacking and other illicit information gathering by journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers.
In a separate case involving News Group in the UK led by Rupert Murdoch, a public apology was issued to the Duke of Sussex for phone hacking and misuse of private information. Allegations of a supposed arrangement between Murdoch’s newspaper group and Buckingham Palace to prevent royal lawsuits were dismissed by the court.
Prince Harry’s involvement in these legal battles led to him becoming the first British royal in 130 years to testify in court during a trial in 2023.