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 legal expenses of the Daily Mail’s publisher following their unsuccessful privacy lawsuits. Judge Matthew Nicklin recently dismissed the case brought by Prince Harry, Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Elizabeth Hurley, Simon Hughes, and Doreen Lawrence, among others, which alleged unlawful activities such as phone hacking by the Mail titles.
In his ruling on legal fees, Nicklin criticized the claimants’ case, stating that serious allegations were based on speculative and inferential grounds, and their conduct was deemed unreasonably high. Associated Newspapers’ spokesperson hailed the decision as another triumph for the Mail and its journalism.
The outstanding amount must be paid on an “indemnity basis,” meaning Prince Harry and the other claimants are obliged to contribute to Associated’s legal costs without the publisher having to justify the reasonableness and proportionality.
During a hearing in July, it was disclosed that Associated had amassed legal costs of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), while the claimants’ insurance policy only covered £16 million ($30 million Cdn). Nicholas Bacon, the claimants’ lawyer, argued that Associated’s legal bill was excessive and surpassed the agreed budget.
The possibility of an appeal by the claimants remains uncertain. Prince Harry’s spokesperson refrained from commenting on the recent ruling. Earlier this summer, Prince Harry criticized the court’s decision as a “complete and obvious whitewash.”
Prince Harry and Meghan’s imminent return to the UK was announced this week, where they plan to enroll their children in school after residing in California for the past six years, following a brief stint in British Columbia.
The case represents the final unresolved litigation in a series of lawsuits initiated by Prince Harry against tabloid publishers for employing unlawful tactics. Previously, Prince Harry was awarded £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) after the High Court found him to be a victim of “modest” phone hacking and other illicit information gathering by journalists at Mirror Group Newspapers.
In a separate major case, News Group in the UK issued a formal apology to Prince Harry for phone hacking, surveillance, and the misuse of private information, while denying allegations of a secret arrangement with Buckingham Palace to prevent royal lawsuits.
In a historic move, Prince Harry became the first British royal in 130 years to provide testimony at a trial in 2023. The court’s rejection of the claim related to a purported secret agreement between Murdoch’s newspaper group and Buckingham Palace was also noted.
The ruling document can be accessed for further details.
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