Prince Harry’s Next Major Case Against British Newspapers Gets New Update, Legal Costs Ordered to Be Slashed

Prince Harry has been instructed to curb his spending on his next legal battle with a British newspaper group.

Two days after settling his latest claim against Rupert Murdoch’s tabloid The Sun, the Duke of Sussex’s legal team has been told that costs in his case against another media giant can only reach $5.1 million. The publisher of the Daily Mail, also being sued by Harry, along with other prominent claimants, has been given the same restriction, with their costs capped at $5.6 million, according to The Independent.

This comes after a pre-trial hearing revealed that Associated Newspapers — the publisher of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday — had initially sought to spend $24.7 million for the 45-day trial, while the claimants were aiming to spend around $23.4 million.

Harry’s case against Associated Newspapers is scheduled for a year from now in 2026 and marks the final legal action in a series of lawsuits the prince has filed against British newspapers. He is joined by high-profile figures, including pop star Elton John, actress Elizabeth Hurley, Jude Law’s ex-wife Sadie Frost, British politician Simon Hughes and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, in suing Associated Newspapers (ANL) for alleged illegal information gathering.

Associated Newspapers has denied the allegations, dismissing them as “preposterous smears,” the BBC reported.

The cost restrictions reported by the Financial Times on Jan. 24, were discussed during a pre-trial hearing. Two judges, Mr. Justice Nicklin and Judge David Cook, ruled that they “had little difficulty concluding that such sums were manifestly excessive,” noting the claimants’ legal teams had significant expertise in this type of litigation and “were not starting from scratch,” a reported reference to other litigation, including the recent case against The Sun.

Harry himself appeared in court when proceedings began in March 2023, and several pre-trial hearings have taken place since then.

Almost two years ago, in March 2023, Harry made an appearance in court as the case kicked off. There have been several pre-trial hearings since.

Harry initiated these legal actions in October 2019, signaling a shift in his approach to the British press, marking a departure from the royal family’s historically restrained stance on media disputes. 

Just months later, in early 2020, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from royal duties and relocated to Canada, then California. Reflecting on the impact the lawsuits have had on his relationship with his family, Harry admitted in an ITV interview for Tabloids on Trial that the legal battles had taken a personal toll. “Yeah, that’s certainly a central piece to it,” he said.

On Jan. 22, Harry and co-claimant former Labour MP Lord (Tom) Watson reached a settlement with The Sun publisher, receiving “a full and unequivocal apology” and at least $12 million in damages. After the hearing, their lawyer, David Sherborne, called it a “monumental victory,” adding, “This represents a vindication for the hundreds of other claimants who were strong-armed into settling, without being able to get to the truth of what was done to them.”

“After endless resistance, denials and legal battles by News Group Newspapers, including spending more than a billion pounds in payouts and in legal costs (as well as paying off those in the know) to prevent the full picture from coming out, News UK is finally held to account for its illegal actions and its blatant disregard for the law,” Sherborne continued. “It has also specifically admitted wrongdoing against Tom Watson, and admitted unlawful acts by The Sun, as well as by the News of the World, against Prince Harry.”

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Harry’s uncle, Charles Spencer, praised him for his determination to hold the media accountable. “It takes an enormous amount of guts to take on major media organisations like this, and incredible tenacity to win against them,” Spencer, 60, wrote in an Instagram post next to a screenshot of a BBC News report about Harry’s legal victory.