The dismissal of the case against Associated Newspapers Limited means that Prince Harry and six other claimants will initially have to pay £9.54 million in legal costs.
The claimants, a group that also included Elton John, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, had all their claims rejected by Judge Nicklin last month.
The publisher sought a higher interim payment
Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail, said its total legal costs linked to the case had exceeded £34.5 million. The court did not order immediate payment of the full amount.
The company sought more than £9.9 million as the initial payment. Lawyers for Harry and the other claimants argued that the interim payment should be limited to just over £7.9 million.
Claimants alleged unlawful information gathering
The claimants alleged that unlawful information-gathering activities had been carried out within the publisher’s organization over a period of roughly 30 years beginning in the early 1990s.
The allegations involved the interception of voicemail messages, the tapping of landlines and the use of deception to obtain information. The claimants argued that private investigators, freelance journalists and Associated Newspapers Limited employees had played a role in these activities.
Associated Newspapers Limited strongly denied all the allegations.
Judge found that the allegations had not been proven
In his 436-page ruling, Judge Nicklin found that the claimants had failed to prove their allegations of unlawful information gathering, including phone hacking.
After the ruling was issued in July, Associated Newspapers Limited described the outcome as a “resounding victory” for Daily Mail journalism and a “magnificent vindication.”
The publisher also called the ruling “a devastating critique” of an attempt to destroy the reputation of the newspaper, as well as those of its journalists, editors and executives.
Under the latest payment order, Harry and the other claimants will have to make the initial payment toward Associated Newspapers Limited’s legal costs.
