Prince Harry’s UK Homecoming Could Start With a $13M Financial Blow
Prince Harry's return to the UK is already shaping up to be an expensive one, and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Meghan Markle.
Prince Harry's return to the UK is already shaping up to be an expensive one, and surprisingly, it has nothing to do with Meghan Markle or the monarchy. The Duke of Sussex is expected to move back to Britain with Markle later this month, but before settling into their new life, he is facing another major financial headache. It is a huge legal bill following his recent court defeat.
Following his infamous court defeat against the publisher of the Daily Mail, Harry has been ordered to pay a share of Associated Newspapers’ legal costs. A High Court judge ruled on Friday that the claimants must make an interim payment of around $13 million by August 28. Harry is one of seven claimants involved in the case, alongside high-profile names including Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence, and Sir Simon Hughes.
According to Hello magazine, Mr Justice Nicklin said the claimants and their legal advisers had been aware that the payment would be due. "The claimants and their advisers have been on notice, since the hearing, that this would be the date for payment on account," he said. Judge Nicklin added that he was “quite satisfied” that an order for indemnity costs should be made, which is more favorable to Associated Newspapers.
However, while things seem to be settling now, the bill could eventually grow even larger. Associated Newspapers previously said its total costs for defending the case had reached around $47 million, a figure the court described as “exceptionally high.” The judge declined to place a cap on the amount the publisher could recover.
The latest verdict comes just weeks after Harry lost the privacy battle following an 11-week trial. Although the judge said he accepted the evidence Harry gave at trial, he found that the Duke had limited evidence on the disputed issues. For Harry, the legal setback comes at a particularly significant moment. He and Markle have announced plans to return to the UK after more than six years living in California. Along with the amount Harry is ordered to pay the publication, he is also in for a major expense related to moving to the UK.
