Saturday, August 22, 2026 - Prince Harry and six other high-profile claimants have been ordered to pay an initial £9.54 million, about $13 million, in legal costs to Associated Newspapers, publisher of the Daily Mail, after losing their UK High Court privacy case.
The payment is due by August 28, adding immediate financial pressure following the court’s dismissal of their claims that the publisher used unlawful methods to obtain private information.
The case involved allegations including phone hacking, voicemail interception and other forms of unlawful information gathering.
However, Justice Matthew Nicklin dismissed the claims in July, finding that the evidence did not establish the alleged wrongdoing and criticizing the way the case was pursued. The publisher’s legal costs are estimated at about £34.5 million, meaning the claimants could face a substantially larger bill after further assessment.
The ruling represents a major legal setback for Harry and the other claimants, who have until October 2 to appeal. Harry previously described the judgment as a “whitewash,” while Associated Newspapers has welcomed the latest costs ruling as a significant victory.
With Harry and Meghan Markle also preparing for an extended return to the UK with their children, the multimillion-pound legal battle is putting renewed attention on the prince’s continuing disputes with the British press.
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