AdvertisementAdvertisementBritain's Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, speaks at a roundtable about support for veterans, Aug 19, 2026, in Washington. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon)21 Aug 2026 10:27PM (Updated: 21 Aug 2026 10:31PM) Bookmark Bookmark WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedInAdd CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results.Read a summary of this article on FAST.Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST LONDON: A UK court ordered Prince Harry and six others Friday (Aug 21) to pay an initial £9.5 million (US$13 million) after they lost their privacy case against the publisher of British tabloid the Daily Mail.The court said the prince and six other high-profile figures, who lost their unlawful information gathering and privacy invasions claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), must make the payment within a week.The claimants - which include Elton John, his husband David Furnish, actors Elizabeth Hurley and Sadie Frost - accused the Mail of bugging their cars and homes, listening into calls and accessing bank accounts and medical records. ANL had denied all the allegations.After an emotional 11-week trial, judge Matthew Nicklin sided with the publisher in a ruling handed down on Jul 7, concluding the "claimants failed to prove their pleaded allegations".Show MoreShow LessAfter a further two-day hearing over costs, he made Friday's initial costs decision."The Court ordered the claimants make an interim payment of £9,544,355 by 4pm local time on Aug 28," a published summary stated.It noted ANL had said its total costs of defending itself had reached about £34.5 million by Jul 9, which the court described as "exceptionally high" and "unprecedented".Elton John and David Furnish attend the Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party, to celebrate the 97th Oscars Academy Awards in West Hollywood, California, US, Mar 2, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)Elizabeth Hurley arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscars party after the 97th Academy Awards, in Beverly Hills, California, US, Mar 2, 2025. (File photo: REUTERS/Danny Moloshok)Sadie Frost poses for photographers during the photo call for the documentary 'Twiggy' at the 76th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, May 17, 2023. (Photo: AP/Scott Garfitt/Invision)Nicklin said ANL's claim for £34.5 million appeared "excessive and ... giving rise to real concerns as to whether all of the costs now claimed by Associated were reasonably incurred".However, the ruling noted the High Court had not determined how much of those costs the claimants must ultimately pay."The issue before the court was the basis on which costs should be assessed, not the amount recoverable," the summary stated."If the amount is not agreed, that question will be determined separately by a costs judge."Nicklin rejected requests by Harry and the other celebrities to pay on a standard basis, instead favouring arguments by ANL that its costs should be repaid on a stricter so-called indemnity basis.That is set to hike the share of the costs the seven are liable for.The summary also noted the court had set a timetable for the claimants to request permission to appeal the Jul 7 decision, which must be filed by Oct 2.In a joint statement following the judge's ruling last month, Harry and campaigner Doreen Lawrence called it "a complete and obvious whitewash".Prince Harry and Meghan moving back to UK: British pressSource: AFP/fhSign up for our newslettersGet our pick of top stories and thought-provoking articles in your inboxSubscribe hereGet the CNA appStay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best storiesDownload hereGet WhatsApp alertsJoin our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat appJoin hereAlso worth readingContent is loading...Expand to read the full storyGet bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try.Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FASTFAST