Prince Harry and Co-Claimants Ordered To Pay £9.54m Interim Legal Costs by 28 August

Prince Harry and six co-claimants must pay £9,544,355 to Associated Newspapers Limited by 4pm on Friday, 28 August, after the High Court ordered the sum as an interim payment towards the publisher's legal costs.

The order follows the dismissal of their privacy claims on 7 July. The Duke of Sussex, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon, Elizabeth Hurley, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sir Simon Hughes and Sadie Frost had accused Associated Newspapers of unlawful information gathering.

Judge Criticises Conduct of Case

Mr Justice Nicklin issued the costs judgment on 21 August. He said the litigation had been pursued in a way that fell 'well outside the norm' and described the conduct as 'unreasonable to a high degree'.

The judge stressed that his decision did not rest simply on the claimants losing. He also made no finding that any claimant had acted dishonestly.

Nicklin cited the breadth of the allegations and the seriousness of claims made against named individuals. He also pointed to allegations that remained in the case despite lacking adequate supporting evidence.

The judgment referred to failures to narrow or withdraw some allegations as evidence developed. It also criticised the use of unpleaded allegations during cross-examination.

Court Explains £9.54m Interim Payment

Nicklin ordered that Associated Newspapers' costs be assessed on an indemnity basis. This gives the successful party greater scope to recover legal costs than the standard basis.

Under indemnity assessment, proportionality does not restrict recovery and any doubt over reasonable costs favours the receiving party, although unreasonable costs can still be rejected.

The £9.54m interim payment includes 90 per cent of approved budgeted costs. That element totals £4,669,127.10.

It also includes 60 per cent of costs incurred before the budget was approved, worth £4,875,228.24. Associated Newspapers had sought about £9.95m, while the claimants argued for a figure slightly above £7.9m.

Publisher Reports £34.5m Legal Bill

Associated Newspapers told the court that its total costs had reached £34,481,622.54 by 9 July. Nicklin described the figure as 'striking' and 'exceptionally high'.

He said costs on that scale were unprecedented in the High Court's Media and Communications List. However, he rejected the claimants' request to impose a cap on the publisher's final recovery.

The judge said he lacked enough detailed information to set a fair limit at this stage. The recoverable amount will instead be agreed between the parties or determined through a detailed costs assessment.

Claims Dismissed After 11-Week Trial

The costs dispute followed an 11-week trial in London. The seven claimants alleged unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking.

Associated Newspapers denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. The High Court dismissed the claims, finding insufficient proof of unlawful information gathering.

The ruling covered claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. The court's findings formed the basis for the subsequent dispute over legal costs.

Appeal Deadline Set for October

The 28 August deadline applies to the group's interim payment. It does not determine how liability will ultimately be divided among the seven claimants.

Questions over individual and shared costs can be addressed during detailed assessment. The court has also set 2 October as the deadline for applications seeking permission to appeal either the 7 July judgment or the 21 August costs ruling.

Any appeal application will be considered on written submissions unless the judge orders a hearing. The appeal timetable does not change the existing requirement to pay the £9.54m interim sum by 28 August.