Prince Harry and six others face privacy case legal bill of up to £34.5m

Prince Harry and six other public figures have been ordered by a High Court judge to pay up to £34.5 million in legal costs following a failed privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail's publisher. The judge criticized the claimants for presenting their case in an unreasonable manner.
Why it matters
This ruling sets a significant precedent for legal costs in high-profile privacy litigation and highlights the financial risks associated with challenging major media organizations.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Dominic Casciani , Home and Legal Correspondent and Henry Moore Reuters/Getty Prince Harry and six other public figures face paying up to £34.5m to the publisher of the Daily Mail after a High Court judge imposed an exceptional order for legal costs over their failed privacy case.
The seven claimants, also including Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley, must pay an initial £9.54m by Friday of next week to Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL).
The judge ruled that the case was a rare one in which the claimants should have to pay far in excess of the costs that had been agreed before trial, criticising how they presented their claims as "unreasonable to a high degree".
On 7 July, Judge Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims of unlawful information-gathering, which ANL denied.
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