Prince Harry and six others ordered to pay initial £9.5m to Daily Mail publisher
A High Court judge has ordered Prince Harry and six other public figures to pay an initial £9.5 million in legal costs to the publisher of the Daily Mail following a failed privacy lawsuit. The claimants may ultimately face a total bill of up to £34.5 million as the judge ruled the costs should be determined on an indemnity basis.
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.
Image source, Reuters/Getty By Dominic Casciani , Home and Legal Correspondent and Henry Moore Published 21 August 2026 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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