Prince Harry privacy case payment now carries an initial £9.54m bill for him and six other claimants after their High Court privacy case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers Limited was lost. The group must pay by 28 August, and Prince Harry and the others have until 2 October to try to launch an appeal.
The seven claimants are Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley, Sir Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost, David Furnish and Baroness Doreen Lawrence. Friday's order means each of them is exposed to a share of the initial payment, with the prospect of another £25m or so if the final costs bill rises to the figure the publisher has sought.
Mr Justice Nicklin ruling
Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims on 7 July after the group sued Associated Newspapers Limited over allegations of unlawful information-gathering. He said the public figures had failed to prove the allegations, and he made an exceptional order for costs against the seven claimants.
Under that order, ANL's costs are to be determined on an indemnity basis. That leaves the newspaper group able to seek a larger share of its defence spending than in a standard costs order, and Friday's ruling sets the first payment at £9.54m.
Associated Newspapers costs
The judge said he had decided not to impose a ceiling on Associated's recoverable costs, even as he described a claim for costs in excess of £34 million as excessive. He also said it was striking that not a single allegation of serious wrongdoing was voluntarily withdrawn by the group of seven claimants.
Associated Newspapers Limited described the ruling as “a devastating critique of an attempt to destroy a newspaper and the reputations of its journalists, editors and executives”. The practical effect is immediate: the claimants face the August deadline now, while the appeal window remains open until 2 October.
What they owe next turns on how much of the wider £34.5m bill the court ultimately allows Associated to recover. For Prince Harry and the other six, the immediate task is simpler: meet the £9.54m payment by 28 August or pursue an appeal before the October deadline closes.
