Prince Harry and co-claimants ordered to pay £9.5m legal bill
A UK court ordered Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures Friday to pay an initial £9.5 million in legal costs by August 28 following the dismissal of their privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail‘s publisher. The group, which includes Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost, faces the strict payment deadline after losing an unlawful information-gathering claim against Associated Newspapers Limited.
Judge Matthew Nicklin handed down the interim costs decision requiring a payment of £9,544,355 by 4:00 pm on August 28 following a two-day hearing in London. The publisher reported that its total defense costs reached approximately £34.5 million by July 9. Judge Nicklin described that defense expenditure as exceptionally high and unprecedented, noting concerns over whether all of the claimed expenses were reasonably incurred.
Strict indemnity basis increases financial liability
The court rejected requests from the claimants to pay legal costs on a standard basis, instead siding with the publisher’s arguments for a stricter indemnity basis. That decision significantly increases the financial share for which the seven individuals are liable. The High Court has not yet determined the total recoverable amount, leaving final figures to be settled separately by a costs judge if both sides fail to reach an agreement.
The legal teams have until October 2 to file requests for permission to appeal the underlying July 7 decision. In that ruling, Judge Nicklin concluded that the claimants failed to prove their pleaded allegations regarding intercepted communications and accessed records. Following that July judgment, Prince Harry and campaigner Doreen Lawrence issued a joint statement describing the outcome as a complete and obvious whitewash.
