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

Prince Harry, Elton John, and several other high-profile individuals face a substantial financial penalty after their privacy lawsuits against the Daily Mail's publisher were dismissed. A judge has ordered them to pay millions of pounds towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers, ruling that their case was conducted in an "unreasonable" manner.

Judge Matthew Nicklin's judgment on costs, published Friday, mandates an interim payment of £9.54 million ($45.8 million) from the claimants to Associated Newspapers. This ruling follows the judge's comprehensive rejection of the case last month, which alleged widespread unlawful activities by the Mail titles, including phone hacking. The judge found that serious allegations made by the claimants rested on "speculative and inferential" foundations.

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In my judgment, the cumulative effect of these matters takes the case well outside the norm. The conduct was unreasonable to a high degree.

Adding to the claimants' setback, the outstanding legal costs must be paid on an "indemnity basis." This means the publisher does not need to prove the reasonableness or proportionality of its £34.5 million legal bill. The claimants' insurance policy only covered £16 million of their own legal expenses, leaving them responsible for the significant shortfall and the publisher's costs.

Associated Newspapers hailed the decision as "another overwhelming victory for the Mail and its journalism." The publisher's lawyer argued that the claimants made wide-ranging and "egregious" allegations without sufficient supporting evidence. The court was told that the claimants' conduct went "well outside the norm" and was "unreasonable to a high degree."

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Another overwhelming victory for the Mail and its journalism.