Prince Harry and Celebrities Hit with $17.8M Legal Bill in Privacy Case
By Editor • August 21, 2026 • 1 min read
In a significant legal defeat, Prince Harry, Elton John, and several other celebrities have been ordered to pay £9.54 million (approximately $17.88 million) to the publisher of the Daily Mail following their unsuccessful privacy lawsuits. The ruling was made by Justice Matthew Nicklin, who criticized the claimants for their ‘unreasonable’ approach to the case.
The group had alleged serious breaches of privacy by Associated Newspapers, which includes accusations of unlawful activities such as phone hacking. However, the judge dismissed these claims as lacking substantive evidence, labeling them as speculative and inferential.
Justice Nicklin's judgment emphasized that the claimants must shoulder the legal costs on an ‘indemnity basis’ due to their loss, meaning they are liable for associated costs without the need for the publisher to justify them as reasonable. The ruling was hailed by Associated Newspapers as a definitive win for their journalism.
Source: www.abc.net.au
