In a recent ruling by London’s High Court, Prince Harry and other prominent individuals have been ordered 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 previously rejected the case brought forth by Prince Harry and others, refuting claims of unlawful activities such as phone hacking by the Mail titles.
Among the high-profile individuals suing Associated Newspapers were singer Elton John, his Canadian spouse David Furnish, and actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley. The ruling criticized the claimants’ case for being built on speculative grounds, deeming their conduct as unreasonably severe.
Associated Newspapers hailed the decision as a significant win for their journalism. The court mandated the payment on an “indemnity basis,” requiring the losing party to contribute to the legal costs without the publisher demonstrating reasonableness and proportionality.
During a hearing in July, it was revealed that Associated had amassed a legal bill of £34.5 million ($64.7 million Cdn), while the claimants possessed an insurance coverage of only £16 million ($30 million Cdn). The possibility of an appeal by the claimants remains uncertain.
Prince Harry has not commented on the recent ruling. He and his wife, Meghan, declared their intention to relocate back to the U.K. to enroll their children in school after living in California for six years, following a brief stay in British Columbia.
This legal battle is the final lawsuit in a series filed by Prince Harry against tabloid publishers for alleged unlawful tactics. Previously, Prince Harry was compensated £140,600 (approximately $240,430 Cdn) after being deemed a victim of phone hacking and other inappropriate information gathering by the Mirror Group Newspapers.
In a separate case, the News Group in the U.K. issued a formal apology to Prince Harry for the phone hacking and misuse of private information. Despite allegations of a concealed agreement between Murdoch’s newspaper group and Buckingham Palace, the court dismissed the claim.