Harry & Meghan hit with $13M legal bill; Meghan in talks for new Netflix series

Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, and several other high-profile figures have been ordered to pay an initial £9.5 million (approximately $13 million USD) towards the legal costs of Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail. This interim payment follows their loss in a significant privacy case against the tabloid last month. The group, which included Elton John's husband David Furnish, and actors Sadie Frost and Elizabeth Hurley, had accused the newspaper of extensive unlawful information gathering, such as phone hacking.

The High Court judge, Matthew Nicklin, dismissed the claims in July 2026, stating that the claimants failed to provide sufficient evidence for their allegations. Judge Nicklin was critical of how the case was presented, describing it as "unreasonable to a high degree" and based on "speculative and inferential" foundations. The initial $13 million sum is due by August 28, 2026, and represents only a portion of ANL's total legal expenses, which were estimated at £34.5 million ($47 million USD). The court ordered the payment on an "indemnity basis," an unusual ruling that means the claimants must cover ANL's costs without the publisher having to prove their reasonableness.