On Friday, 21st August, a UK court has ordered Prince Harry and six other high-profile figures to make an initial payment of £9.5 million ($13 million) to the publisher of the Daily Mail after they lost a privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The payment must be made by 4 pm on 28th August, according to the court.
The case was brought by Harry along with singer Elton John, his husband and film producer David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, anti-racism campaigner Doreen Lawrence and politician Simon Hughes. They had accused ANL of using unlawful methods to collect information about them.
BREAKING NEWS: Prince Harry and six others, including Elton John, have been ordered to pay an initial 9.5 million pounds ($13 million) to the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper following their failed invasion of privacy case. pic.twitter.com/QjLy5zMn2u
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 21, 2026
What was the privacy case about?
The group claimed that journalists and private investigators working for the publisher had carried out serious invasions of their privacy. Their allegations included phone hacking, bugging cars and homes, listening to private calls and accessing sensitive information such as bank and medical records.
UK court ORDERS Prince Harry and Elton John to pay Daily Mail $13 MILLION after LOSING legal case over privacy — AP
— RT (@RT_com) August 21, 2026
The figure is an initial payment, another $34 MILLION also 'up for grabs' if claimant wishes pic.twitter.com/GFI8PjcfHF
ANL strongly denied the allegations. The case went through an 11-week trial in London, which ended on 7th July. Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled in favour of the publisher, saying the claimants had failed to provide enough evidence to prove their allegations.
The judge also said there was a possibility that some of the information used by the Daily Mail came from legitimate sources.
Court questions Daily Mail publisher’s £34.5 million legal bill
The latest order relates to the legal costs of the case. ANL told the court that its total costs of defending the lawsuit had reached around £34.5 million by 9th July.
However, Nicklin described the figure as “exceptionally high” and “unprecedented”. He also said the publisher’s claim appeared “excessive” and raised concerns about whether all the costs had been reasonably incurred.
The court has not yet decided the final amount that Harry and the other claimants will have to pay. Friday’s ruling only decided the basis on which the costs would be assessed. If both sides cannot agree on the final amount, a costs judge will decide it separately.
The court also rejected the claimants’ request for the costs to be assessed on a standard basis. Instead, it favoured ANL’s argument for an “indemnity basis”, which could increase the amount the seven claimants ultimately have to pay.
Harry can still seek permission to appeal
The court has given Harry and the other claimants time to seek permission to appeal the 7th July judgment. Any such application must be filed by 2nd October.
After the judgment last month, Harry and Doreen Lawrence criticised the decision, calling it “a complete and obvious whitewash”.
The defeat also marks another setback for Harry in his legal battle with British tabloids. He had earlier won a case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror in 2023, with the court finding evidence of “widespread and habitual” phone hacking.
Last year, The Sun also apologised to Harry for intruding into his private life and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his separate privacy case.
Harry has repeatedly said that his legal fight against the British press is part of his wider effort to hold newspapers accountable for what he believes was unlawful intrusion into his life. He has also blamed the media for contributing to the pressure faced by his family, including his late mother Princess Diana and his wife Meghan Markle.
