Prince Harry and others ordered to pay £9.5m in legal costs

Prince Harry Elton John Associated Newspapers Limited Daily Mail legal costs

Prince Harry, Elton John, and five other high-profile claimants have been ordered by a British High Court judge to pay an initial £9.54 million in legal costs to Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The ruling follows the dismissal of their lawsuit, which accused the publisher of the Daily Mail of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking and the use of private investigators, between 1993 and 2018.

Judge Matthew Nicklin criticized the claimants' conduct as being “unreasonable to a high degree” and described their allegations as “speculative and substantially inferential,” noting they lacked a proper evidential foundation. The judge rejected a request to cap the legal costs, despite characterizing the total sum sought by ANL as “extremely high.”

The initial payment is due by August 28. The total legal bill claimed by ANL exceeds £34.5 million, and the judge ruled that remaining costs should be assessed on an indemnity basis, which may increase the final amount. While some claimants have insurance, it is reported that coverage may not fully meet the potential total liability.

Entities

Associated Newspapers Limited · Associated Newspapers Ltd. · Daily Mail · Elton John · High Court of Justice · High Court of London · Matthew Nicklin · Prince Harry

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 2 SOURCES] The court rejected the request to set a cap on the total amount Associated Newspapers Limited can claim. www.businessdaily.gr · www.zougla.gr
[● 3 SOURCES] The High Court of London ruled that the plaintiffs failed to prove the tabloid intercepted voicemail messages or monitored phone calls for approximately 50 articles between 1993 and 2018. www.businessdaily.gr · www.protagon.gr · www.zougla.gr
[● 24 SOURCES] Associated Newspapers Limited claims to have spent £34.5 million over four years on the litigation. www.businessdaily.gr · www.zougla.gr · www.haberaktuel.com · pipocamoderna.com.br · www.adomonline.com · +19 more
[● 35 SOURCES] The judge ordered the plaintiffs to pay an initial installment of £9.5 million by August 28. www.businessdaily.gr · www.protagon.gr · www.zougla.gr · noticiasemportugues.co.uk · www.haberaktuel.com · +30 more
[● 3 SOURCES] Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) is seeking compensation of up to £34.5 million to cover legal costs incurred over four years of litigation. dialogos.com.cy · www.naftemporiki.gr · www.newsbomb.gr
[● 34 SOURCES] A British High Court judge ordered Prince Harry, Elton John, and others to make an initial payment of £9.5 million to Associated Newspapers Limited. dialogos.com.cy · www.naftemporiki.gr · www.newsbomb.gr · noticiasemportugues.co.uk · www.businessdaily.gr · +29 more
[● 24 SOURCES] The claimants failed to prove that the Daily Mail intercepted voicemail messages or monitored phone calls to fuel approximately 50 articles published between 1993 and 2018. dialogos.com.cy · www.naftemporiki.gr · www.newsbomb.gr · elineanoticias.com · laverdad.com · +19 more
[● 8 SOURCES] The judge rejected the claimants' request to place a cap on the amount ANL can claim, despite describing the requested sum as ‘extremely high’ and ‘largely unexplained’. dialogos.com.cy · www.naftemporiki.gr · www.newsbomb.gr · www.adomonline.com · www.tromaktiko.gr · +3 more
[● 3 SOURCES] The claimants must make the initial £9.5 million payment by August 28. dialogos.com.cy · www.naftemporiki.gr · www.newsbomb.gr
[● 17 SOURCES] Associated Newspapers Limited described the court ruling as an overwhelming victory for the Mail and its journalism. www.businessdaily.gr · mundour.com · www.bigodino.it · dialogos.com.cy · information.tv5monde.com · +12 more
[● 10 SOURCES] Judge Matthew Nicklin described the claimants' conduct during the legal proceedings as unreasonable to a high degree. www.whec.com · www.adomonline.com · arynews.tv · noticiasemportugues.co.uk · www.fox5atlanta.com · +5 more
[● 3 SOURCES] Prince Harry described the previous July ruling as shocking and inconsistent. mundour.com · www.excelsior.com.mx · thefaq.gr