Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered to Pay $13 Million in Initial Legal Costs to Daily Mail Publisher After Failed Privacy Case
Prince Harry and six other high-profile individuals, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers Ltd., the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday. This ruling comes after they lost a High Court privacy case in London, where they had accused the publisher of unlawful information gathering, such as phone hacking and hiring private detectives, between 1997 and 2015. The High Court Justice Matthew Nicklin stated that the claimants' case lacked sufficient evidence to support their 97 claims and that the reporting could have originated from legitimate sources. The payment is due by August 28, and the publisher has indicated that its total legal costs exceeded 34 million pounds, potentially leaving the claimants liable for an additional 25 million pounds. The judge criticized the conduct of the claimants' case, noting its 'speculative' nature and their failure to withdraw serious, unsubstantiated allegations. 
