Prince Harry's Legal Setback: A Pricey Privacy Lawsuit Defeat

Prince Harry and other claimants must pay £9.54 million towards Daily Mail's legal costs after a privacy lawsuit loss. London's High Court ruled against them, with costs on an 'indemnity basis'. Associated celebrated the victory as a win for free press, while Harry called it a 'whitewash'.

Prince Harry and several high-profile individuals have been ordered to make a substantial interim payment of £9.54 million to cover the legal expenses of the Daily Mail’s publisher, following their loss in a privacy lawsuit, a ruling from London’s High Court on Friday confirmed.

Last month, Judge Matthew Nicklin dismissed the case brought by King Charles’ younger son, along with singer Elton John and five others, who alleged the Mail titles engaged in unlawful activities like phone hacking. The court’s decision on costs further burdened Prince Harry and his co-claimants, as they were directed to pay the outstanding amount on an 'indemnity basis'.

This verdict implies that the losing party must cover Associated's costs, without requiring the publisher to justify their reasonability or proportionality. Associated hailed the court decision as a major triumph for its newspaper, journalists, and for the advocacy of a free press, whereas Prince Harry criticized it as a 'complete and obvious whitewash'.