Prince Harry and other prominent individuals have been ordered by London’s High Court to pay an interim amount 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 Charles’s younger son and several others, dismissing claims of unlawful activities like phone hacking by the Mail titles.
Notable personalities such as singer Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actors Sadie Frost, Elizabeth Hurley, former Liberal Democratic MP Simon Hughes, and anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence were among those suing Associated Newspapers. Nicklin criticized the claimants’ case, stating that serious allegations were based on speculative and inferential grounds, deeming their conduct highly unreasonable.
Associated Newspapers hailed the ruling as a resounding victory for journalism. The court mandated that the remaining sum be paid on an “indemnity basis,” requiring the losing party, including Prince Harry and others, to contribute to Associated’s legal costs without the publisher proving the costs were reasonable.
During a July hearing, it was disclosed that Associated had amassed legal expenses of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), while Prince Harry and the other claimants were covered by an insurance policy of £16 million ($30 million Cdn). Nicholas Bacon, representing the claimants, criticized the exorbitant legal bill of Associated as surpassing an agreed budget.
The decision on whether the claimants will appeal has not yet been finalized. Prince Harry’s spokesperson refrained from commenting on the ruling, with the prince previously denouncing the court loss as a blatant whitewash. In a surprising move, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to return to the UK, where they intend to enroll their children in school after residing in southern California for the past six years.
The case marks the conclusion of a series of lawsuits initiated by Prince Harry against tabloid publishers for employing illicit tactics. Previously, he was awarded £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) after being deemed a victim of phone hacking and other unlawful information gathering by journalists at Britain’s Mirror Group Newspapers.
In a separate significant case, Rupert Murdoch’s News Group in the UK issued a formal apology to the Duke of Sussex for the phone hacking and misuse of private information, rejecting claims of a secret deal with Buckingham Palace to prevent royals from pursuing such lawsuits. Prince Harry made history in 2023 by becoming the first British royal in 130 years to provide testimony at a trial.
