Prince Harry, other high profile claimants face multi million pound bill over failed lawsuit

Prince Harry, Elton John, and other high-profile claimants face paying millions after a judge ruled their failed privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail's publisher was conducted unreasonably, ordering an interim payment of £9.54 million on an indemnity basis, delivering a damaging blow by stipulating the outstanding amount must be paid without the publisher needing to show costs were reasonable.

Prince Harry, Elton John, and other high-profile claimants face paying millions of dollars out of their own pockets to cover the legal costs of the Daily Mail's publisher, Associated Newspapers, after a judge ruled their failed privacy lawsuits were conducted in an unreasonable way. Judge Matthew Nicklin's judgment on costs, published on Friday, ordered an interim payment of £9.54 million from the claimants towards Associated's legal costs. The ruling delivers a damaging blow by stipulating that the outstanding amount should be paid on an "indemnity basis," meaning the prince and the others must pay without the publisher needing to show the costs were reasonable and proportionate. Nicklin was highly critical of the claimants' case, stating that serious allegations had rested on "speculative and inferential" foundations and that the conduct was "unreasonable to a high degree." A spokesman for Associated Newspapers called the ruling "another overwhelming victory for the Mail and its journalism." The court was told that Associated had incurred a legal bill of £34.5 million, while the claimants had an insurance policy covering only £16 million.