Prince Harry and six other prominent figures are due to learn this afternoon how many millions of pounds they must hand over as an initial payment to Associated Newspapers Limited following their unsuccessful High Court battle over alleged unlawful information gathering.
Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to deliver his written ruling at 2pm.
The group, which also comprises Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Sir Simon Hughes, brought claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail On Sunday.
All seven cases were thrown out by the judge in a ruling delivered on July 7.
Harry set to discover size of first payment to Mail’s publisher after losing multi-million pound court case
ANL firmly rejected the allegations throughout proceedings, which spanned an 11-week trial held in London earlier this year.
The matter subsequently returned to the High Court for two days of argument over who should bear the legal costs. During those hearings, it emerged that ANL’s total bill exceeded £34million.
The judge must now determine both the size of an upfront payment the claimants will be required to make and the method by which the full costs will ultimately be calculated.
The ruling marks the latest chapter in one of the most high-profile media litigation battles in recent years.
ANL firmly rejected the allegations throughout proceedings, which spanned an 11-week trial held in London earlier this year.
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ANL had pushed for an interim payment exceeding £9.9million, to be settled ahead of more detailed future hearings on the full extent of its legal costs.
Lawyers representing the seven claimants argued the upfront sum should be set at just above £7.9million — a difference of roughly £2million between the two sides.
Mr Justice Nicklin has already indicated that the group will face a deadline of August 28 to transfer whatever amount he settles upon. “They are going to be paying a sum of money that I will confirm in the judgment,” the judge stated during earlier proceedings.
The publisher also sought to have costs assessed on an indemnity basis rather than the standard approach, a distinction that would allow ANL to recover a greater proportion of its expenditure.
Nicholas Bacon KC, acting for the claimants, cautioned in written submissions that such a move could prove “very significant” and might leave the group without sufficient insurance coverage to meet the bill.
The ruling arrives just days after it was revealed on Wednesday that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to relocate from California back to Britain later this month, settling in a non-royal property outside London more than six years after their departure.
