The Duke of Sussex and six other high-profile claimants, including Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley, have been ordered by London's High Court to make an interim payment of £9.54 million toward the legal costs of Associated Newspapers Ltd. The publisher of the Daily Mail strongly denied the claimants' allegations of unlawful information gathering and privacy invasion.
The judge ruled that the failed privacy lawsuits were conducted in an unreasonable way. The interim payment must be made by 4pm on August 28. This payment is viewed as a vindication for journalists at the Daily Mail and a defeat for the losing claimants and their lawyers.
The publisher stated it accumulated more than £34 million during the case, meaning the claimants may eventually have to pay more than twice the initial sum. The seven claimants could potentially be required to pay up to £25 million more to reimburse the remaining costs.
The judgment follows news made public two days prior that Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, are moving back to the United Kingdom.