Daily Mail wins in court – British celebrities must pay millions in legal costs
British Prince Harry, pop star Elton John and five other claimants have one week to pay legal costs of eleven million euros. They had lost a lawsuit against the newspaper the Daily Mail over alleged privacy violations.
British Prince Harry, pop star Elton John and five other claimants brought a lawsuit against British tabloid the Daily Mail – and lost. The celebrities have now been ordered to pay an initial sum of 9.5 million pounds – approximately 11.1 million euros – in legal costs to the opposing side.
The payment is due by 28 August. The sum is at the upper end of what observers had expected – particularly since it will not be the last payment required.
Lawsuit dismissed due to lack of evidence
The claimants had accused publisher Associated Newspapers of privacy violations and unlawful gathering of information. They alleged that Daily Mail headlines had been produced using illegal investigative methods such as phone hacking.
The lawsuit was dismissed by the London High Court in July due to insufficient evidence. Judge Nicklin stated at the time that it could not be ruled out that the reporting in question was based on legitimate sources.
Reportedly insured for part of legal costs
Publisher Associated Newspapers described the outcome as an "overwhelming victory". It puts its total legal costs at around 34 million pounds (approximately 40 million euros). The prominent claimants are expected to pay the remaining costs outstanding after the initial payment at a later date.
According to reports, they are said to be insured for approximately half of the total legal costs.
Multiple lawsuits against tabloid media
In addition to Prince Harry and Elton John, the claimants included the latter's husband David Furnish, known as a film producer, actresses Sadie Frost and Liz Hurley, politician Simon Hughes, and anti-racism activist Doreen Lawrence.
The defeat against Associated Newspapers concerned the third and final of Harry's lawsuits, in which he accused tabloid publishers of employing unlawful tactics such as phone tapping or hiring private detectives to uncover scandals and spy on his private life.
The outcomes of the three lawsuits varied considerably. In 2023, the publishers of the Daily Mirror were found liable for "widespread and habitual" phone hacking. Last year, Rupert Murdoch's tabloid The Sun issued an unprecedented apology for years of intrusion into Harry's private life and agreed to pay substantial compensation as part of a settlement.
