Prince Harry, musician Sir Elton John and five other high-profile claimants have been ordered by London's High Court to make an interim payment of about $13 million towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers Ltd, publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday.
The order was made after they lost a significant legal battle that accused ANL of using illegal approaches such as phone tapping, intimidation, and intrusion to get information for the stories. The judge determined that their allegations were not founded after they filed a $4.6 million defamation suit against ANL in July 2026.
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Their motion had 97 allegations of unlawful information-gathering practices, but Justice Nicklin criticized their approach as highly irrational and asserted that they had made numerous unfounded accusations and failed to withdraw any of them.
The judge ordered Harry and the other claimants to pay $13 million towards the publisher's legal costs. This means they may have to cover more of the publisher's expenses because they lost the case. The payment is due by August 28, but the final amount has not yet been decided.
ANL has reported that its legal expenses amounted to over $46.38 million. Justice Nicklin called the figure ‘incredible' and ‘exceptionally high,' but refused to limit further the amount the publisher would be allowed to recover. Plaintiffs, therefore, could be subjected to additional costs numbering in the tens of millions of pounds.
The seven claimants are Prince Harry, Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, former member of Parliament Simon Hughes, and anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence. They accused the publisher of illegally invading their privacy.
The case forms part of Harry's broader legal campaign against sections of the British press. ANL welcomed the court's decision as a major victory, while Harry and the other claimants have criticised the earlier judgment, calling it a “whitewash”.
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The group has until October 2 to decide whether to appeal the ruling. The latest costs order represents a significant legal and financial setback for the claimants following their lengthy challenge against ANL.
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