“THE LEGAL BATTLE MAY BE OVER… BUT THE BIGGEST BILL COULD BE YET TO COME.” 😳💷 — PRINCE HARRY NOW FACES A STAGGERING NEW FINANCIAL THREAT Prince Harry could be facing a costly setback after the publisher of the Daily Mail asked the High Court to order him and the other claimants to cover legal costs following their failed privacy lawsuit. The request comes after a judge dismissed the multi-million-pound case, raising the possibility that the Duke of Sussex could now be responsible for an enormous legal bill.

Prince Harry could face a major financial blow after The Daily Mail’s publisher has demanded an initial £10m payment from the Duke of Sussex and fellow claimants after they lost their case against Associated Newspapers. This comes weeks after the High Court judge dismissed the claimants’ “speculative” £50m privacy claim, in which they accused the publisher of unlawful information gathering.

All the claimants lost their case earlier this month, with the High Court judge finding that none of their evidence was sufficient. The High Court has now heard today that the Mail’s publisher wants the claimants and their legal teams to pay costs on an ‘indemnity basis’. This would allow the judge to instruct the claimants to pay the full legal costs for both sides.

This would be subject to a ‘reasonableness’ test, the Daily Mail reports. The court heard that Associated Newspapers’ costs were around £34 million.

Associated’s lead barrister, Antony White KC, said that the claimants’ individual cases were ‘pursued for the most part without any supporting documentary evidence”. He argued: “The extent of this shifting case was highly unreasonable and inexcusable.

“It led to significant costs and time being wasted by Associated in preparing to meet allegations, only to find them being subsequently abandoned or changed at trial.”

Mr White told the judge: “If the claimants’ conduct in these proceedings does not attract an order for indemnity costs, then it is difficult to see what case would.”

SOURCE: EXPRESS