Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.54m Interim Costs to Daily Mail Publisher

Unbiased summary

On Friday, Judge Nicklin ruled that Prince Harry and six other claimants must pay an interim £9.54m towards Associated Newspapers Ltd's (ANL) legal costs after their privacy case was dismissed. The claimants, including Elton John, David Furnish, Liz Hurley, Sadie Frost, Doreen Lawrence, and Simon Hughes, had alleged unlawful information gathering by the Daily Mail publisher. In July, after an 11-week trial, Nicklin dismissed all claims, finding evidence did not prove unlawful obtaining of information. ANL’s total costs were £34.5m. The judge ordered costs on an indemnity basis, citing the claims' speculative nature and unreasonable conduct. Payment is due by 28 August. The claimants had argued for a £7.9m payment. They have previously called the ruling a 'whitewash'.

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Coverage by outlet

The Guardian left

Angle Emphasizes the harsh financial and legal consequences for the claimants, framing the ruling as a severe punishment for bringing speculative claims.

Bias The Guardian focuses on the judge's reasoning for awarding indemnity costs, quoting at length the 'outside of the norm' conduct, and highlights the unusual nature of this cost order. It downplays the claimants' perspective or any criticism of the publisher, and omits the claimants' 'whitewash' comment. The tone is factual but leans toward portraying the claimants as overreaching.

Prince Harry and others ordered to pay interim £9.5m to Daily Mail publisher

City AM centre-right

Angle Presents the ruling as a decisive victory for the Daily Mail publisher, emphasizing the financial blow and the judge's finding of unreasonable conduct.

Bias City AM emphasizes the indemnity costs as 'a further blow' and quotes the judge's phrase 'unreasonable to a high degree', which is not in the Guardian’s summary but appears in the provided text. It highlights ANL's 'overwhelming victory' and includes Harry's 'whitewash' comment, but frames it in passing. The outlet omits the claimants' argument for a lower payment and does not detail the judge's full reasoning, instead focusing on the financial and reputational defeat.

Prince Harry hit with £9.5m Daily Mail legal bill

Prince Harry braces for eye watering legal bill after Daily Mail defeat

Battle over £34.5 unknown

Angle Frames the story as a high-stakes costs battle, focusing on the potential long-term financial consequences and the procedural wrangling.

Bias This outlet, likely a different source, focuses on the upcoming costs decision (though it was decided), and includes expert commentary about the length of cost disputes, comparing to the Wagatha Christie case. It omits the actual ruling details and the judge's rationale, instead emphasizing the 'eye watering' costs as characterized by the claimants. It also omits the claimants' 'whitewash' reaction, effectively downplaying their post-trial stance.