Interim £9.54m Costs for Harry and Others

A London High Court judge ordered Prince Harry, Elton John and six other claimants to pay an interim, on-account legal costs of £9.54 million to Associated Newspapers Limited by August 28, with costs assessed on an indemnity basis. The judge indicated that further costs could push the total well above that figure. The decision comes after the July ruling dismissing the Daily Mail privacy-invasion claims, including phone hacking, with ANL claiming costs over £34 million. The list of claimants includes Prince Harry, Elton John and David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Elizabeth Hurley, Doreen Lawrence, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, among others. The judge criticized the claimants’ case as speculative and unreasonable to a high degree, and suggested continued legal scrutiny of the publisher’s reporting practices. The ruling highlights the financial and reputational toll for the claimants and the potential for further cost orders.