Prince Harry and six other individuals have officially been ordered by a judge to make the initial payment of £9.5 million to the Daily Mail‘s publisher after they lost their privacy case.
The Duke of Sussex and his co-claimants, including singer Elton John, had accused the publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), of using illegal means to acquire information on them, including the bugging of vehicles.
The huge legal bill comes as Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, prepare to move their family back to the UK later this month, six years after their infamous royal family exit.
Harry has now been ordered to pay a huge legal bill after he and six other high-profile individuals lost a court case against the Daily Mail’s publisher, ANL.
In the latest development, a judge told the duke and his co-claimants to pay an initial sum of £9.5 million to ANL by August 28 at the latest.
Afterward, the group, which also includes Elton John and Elizabeth Hurtley, is expected to pay as much as £25 million more in what has been considered a massive win for the publisher.
About The Duke’s Court Case
Harry and the high-profile seven-member coalition launched legal action against the publisher over allegations of widespread illicit surveillance.
The claimants accused the company of organizing deep-cover espionage, which reportedly included employing private investigators to place recording devices inside vehicles and accessing confidential documentation through deceptive means.
Prince Harry specifically argued that over a dozen stories published about his personal life by Associated Newspapers Limited relied entirely on unlawfully sourced data.
The media conglomerate vigorously contested the accusations throughout the legal proceedings. Ultimately, the presiding judge ruled in favor of the publisher, completely dismissing all legal actions brought forward by the royal and his fellow litigants