Prince Harry, Elton John Ordered to Pay £9.54m After Losing Privacy Lawsuit

Prince Harry and six other high-profile claimants have been ordered by a UK High Court judge to make an initial payment of £9.54 million towards the legal costs of the publisher of the Daily Mail after losing their privacy lawsuit.

The payment, equivalent to about $13 million, must be made by August 28 following Friday’s ruling by Justice Matthew Nicklin.

The case was brought by Prince Harry, singer Sir Elton John and other prominent figures against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.

The claimants had accused the newspaper group of engaging in unlawful information-gathering practices, including phone hacking and the use of private investigators, in connection with stories published over several years.

ANL strongly denied the allegations.

After an 11-week trial earlier this year, Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims in July, finding that the evidence presented by the claimants did not establish the widespread unlawful conduct they had alleged.

The latest ruling concerns the legal costs arising from the failed case.

Justice Nicklin said the claimants’ conduct in pursuing the litigation was unreasonable to a high degree and ordered that the costs be assessed on an “indemnity basis”. This means ANL will not have to demonstrate that its costs were reasonable and proportionate in the usual way.

ANL told the court that its overall legal costs had exceeded £34 million. The £9.54 million ordered on Friday is only an interim payment, meaning the claimants could face a substantially larger bill after the final assessment of costs.

The seven claimants had challenged the publisher over allegations dating back to between 1997 and 2015. Among those involved were Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actress Elizabeth Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.

The judgment represents another significant setback for Prince Harry in his long-running legal battles with sections of the British press.

Harry and some of the other claimants had criticised the earlier dismissal of their case, with Harry describing the judgment as a “whitewash”. However, the latest ruling places an immediate financial burden on the group while the court determines the full amount of costs payable.

The claimants have until October 2 to file an appeal against the earlier judgment, according to reports.

For now, the court’s order requires the group to pay the initial £9.54 million to Associated Newspapers by August 28, with further proceedings expected to determine the final legal bill.