Prince Harry, Elton John Ordered to Pay Daily Mail Publisher $13 Million After Losing Privacy Case
A London High Court judge ordered Prince Harry, Elton John and five other public figures to make an initial payment of £9.54 million ($13 million) to Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail, after their yearslong invasion-of-privacy lawsuit was dismissed. Justice Matthew Nicklin issued the ruling on August 21, with payment due by August 28. The other claimants include Elton John's husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost, anti-racism campaigner Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and former Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes.
The seven had accused Associated Newspapers of unlawful information gathering dating back roughly 30 years, including phone hacking, hiring investigators to bug calls and homes, and paying police for private information. A judge dismissed the claims in July, finding the group failed to prove the allegations after an 11-week trial. Nicklin's cost order could grow substantially: Associated Newspapers says it spent more than £34.5 million defending the case, and the claimants' insurance covers only up to £16.2 million of that bill.
The ruling closes out what Harry has called his trilogy of tabloid lawsuits. He won a 2023 judgment against the Daily Mirror's publisher for phone hacking and received a settlement and apology from Rupert Murdoch's The Sun last year. Harry called this outcome a complete and obvious whitewash, and the claimants have until October 2 to decide whether to appeal.
The case for:
The judge found the celebrities failed to prove serious allegations, including phone hacking and obtaining medical records, after an 11-week trial, and ordering losers to cover a defendant's costs is standard practice in UK courts.
Requiring claimants to pay steep costs when they lose discourages wealthy public figures from using expensive litigation to pressure media outlets into settling weak claims.
The case against:
Harry and his allies argue a potential nine-figure bill risks scaring off legitimate future victims of tabloid misconduct from ever bringing a case to court.
The outcome sits awkwardly next to Harry's two earlier wins against the Mirror and the Sun, raising questions among supporters about why this case was treated so differently.
What's your take?
Was it right for the court to order Prince Harry, Elton John and the other claimants to cover the Daily Mail publisher's legal costs after losing their case? Yes 
No 
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Sources:
#PrinceHarry #EltonJohn #DailyMail #PressFreedom
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