Prince Harry’s informal attempt to settle the lawsuit before trial was reportedly dismissed by Associated Newspapers Limited. The claimants might have to pay $67 million in legal costs after losing the lawsuit.
Prince Harry reportedly attempted to settle the privacy dispute before the trial moved forward in London
Prince Harry and other high-profile names, including Elizabeth Hurley, Sadie Frost, and Elton John, filed a lawsuit against ANL, the publisher of the Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday. The lawsuit was filed on the grounds of acquiring unlawful information to publish articles about the litigants.
However, the judge ruled in favor of the publisher, and the plaintiffs failed to provide proof of their claim. Soon after the ruling, ANL issued a statement that it would seek legal costs, which are reportedly $67 million.
According to People, Harry and other litigants tried to settle the case through a former News of the World journalist, the former editor of The Independent, before the trial began. Reportedly, the Duke of Sussex used “intermediaries” to create a “backchannel” for settlement. However, they had “no intention of settling and were determined to clear their name.” The plaintiffs reportedly offered “a huge amount of money” until the last moment, which the publisher declined. Dismissing the indirect efforts of Harry and other claimants, ANL decided to take the case to court, which ended in a 46-day trial.
Now, after the decision by Mr Justice Nicklin, there are hefty legal costs that Harry might have to pay, as ANL is determined to get the payout. It’s still unclear whether the claimants will be responsible for paying the bill, but the publisher is likely to recover up to 75% of the legal costs.
Prince Harry is currently on his UK trip, where he is likely to meet the royal family amid the ongoing $67 million legal costs.
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