'Harry Doesn't Have Any Money': Elton John Reportedly Paying Royal's Court Defeat Bills

Prince Harry's loss in his long-running privacy case against Associated Newspapers has reportedly left him exposed to a sizeable legal bill in London, with commentator Paula Froelich claiming on YouTube that Sir Elton John may end up covering costs from the failed action.

The case was thrown out by Mr Justice Nicklin in the High Court on 7 July 2026, and the next stage of the fight over costs is due at hearings on 29 and 30 July.

Harry Court Defeat and the Cost Fallout

The news came after Harry, Sir Elton John and other claimants brought a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers Limited in 2022, alleging unlawful information gathering by the publisher. The High Court later dismissed the claims, with the judge finding that the evidence did not prove the disputed stories had been obtained unlawfully.

The financial figures being thrown around are already eye-watering. Schofield claimed on her Reading Royals YouTube show that insurance allegedly covered only £11 million, while the publisher's costs had climbed above £25 million, though those numbers remain claims voiced by commentators rather than a court finding.

Froelich went further, telling viewers, 'Harry doesn't have any money. Elton John has the money,' and saying John was 'on the hook' for the legal expenses Harry incurred in the case.

That assertion was made on a live YouTube episode and has not been independently verified.

Elton John Drawn Into Harry's Costs Row

The ruling itself matters more than the gossip orbiting it. In his detailed judgment, Mr Justice Nicklin said the claimants had not shown that the information at the heart of the case was obtained unlawfully, and he rejected arguments relying on private investigators, voicemail interception and other alleged methods.

One of the court's sharper points was that some allegations should have been properly pleaded and supported by evidence before trial.

On the private investigator point, the judge said there was no evidence linking payments to investigators with the articles Harry relied on, adding that 'temporal proximity alone is insufficient to establish the necessary connection.'

Associated Newspapers has said it will seek recovery of its legal costs, saying it will 'look to resolve outstanding issues, including the recovery of the costs we have incurred while defending ourselves against this egregious litigation.'

That leaves Harry and the other claimants facing the possibility of a separate and potentially very expensive costs hearing later this month.

Elton John and the Wider Picture

The idea that Elton John will personally carry Harry's bill is still just that, an idea. Nothing in the court ruling confirms who pays what, and the final order on costs has yet to be decided. But the scale of the case makes the uncertainty feel less like a footnote and more like the real story now.

According to figures reported around the case, Associated Newspapers said the litigation cost it more than £50 million, a number that underlines how much money has been burned through before anyone even gets to the argument about who should pay the tab.

If the court orders the claimants to cover part of those costs, the fallout could be substantial, especially given the separate legal bills already piling up around Harry's other press battles.

There is also the awkward political theatre of it all. Harry has spent years presenting himself as a relentless challenger of press abuse, yet this case ended in a hard judicial rebuke.

The publisher, for its part, has cast the result as vindication, while its critics will argue that a victory on evidence does not settle every question about tabloid behaviour. That is the messy bit, and it is unlikely to go away quickly.

The hearing on 29 and 30 July will determine any disputed consequential orders, which is where the money question really bites. Until then, claims that Elton John is paying the bill, or that Harry is skint, remain commentary, not fact, however loudly they are being repeated online.