Prince Harry faces million-dollar bill after defeat in legal case

At a hearing on Wednesday to determine how much of the Mail's legal costs the claimants should bear, Associated's lawyer Antony White argued that they should do so based on the "indemnity principle", under which the losing party must cover the other party's expenses without needing to prove they were proportionate. The court heard that Associated had incurred legal costs worth £34.5 million ($45.8 million), while Harry and the other plaintiffs only have an insurance policy covering £16 million. In a scathing attack on the case -- which he said was designed to create “a feast of litigation” against Associated -- White argued that the allegations raised were broad, serious and “egregious,” with no evidence to back them up, which increased his costs. He also claimed that Harry's statement following the ruling constituted an abuse of his position and celebrity status. “It was completely inappropriate and unreasonable,” White said. Associated said it was requesting an interim payment of £10 million. Nicholas Bacon, solicitor for the plaintiffs, said in his submissions that Associated's £34.5 million bill was “exorbitant”, far exceeding the agreed budget, and that there was clearly a shortfall in relation to the level of guarantee they had set. According to him, it was disclosed that Associated wanted to “get straight to the point” and teach the applicants a lesson by obtaining reimbursement for procedural costs. They have offered an interim payment of £8m by August 28th. In his ruling dismissing the case, Judge Matthew Nicklin said the plaintiffs needed to prove that the information published about them was obtained illegally, but were unable to do so, and that mere suspicion is not enough. In written submissions, the plaintiffs' lawyers also stated that any application for permission to appeal this decision has been postponed until Nicklin makes a ruling on costs. The hearing continues on Thursday.