Prince Harry among seven given brutal £9.5 million legal bill as he marks UK return

Joined by six other high-profile individuals, the Duke of Sussex will have to pay £9.5 million to the Daily Mail after a High Court case ruled in the publisher's favour.

Prince Harry sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information-gathering, along with Baroness Doreen Lawrence, Sir Elton John, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley and Sir Simon Hughes.

ANL denied the claims, which were heard during a trial that played out over 11 weeks in London earlier this year.

The cases of all seven household names - including the Duke - were dismissed by Mr Justice Nicklin on 7 July.

He described the claims as 'speculative and substantially inferential', insisting they 'lacked a proper evidential foundation'.

The judge ruled in favour of ANL (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

During a subsequent two-day hearing this week centred on the case of the previous case, the court was told that ANL had paid over £34 million.

As such, Judge Nicklin ruled that the seven individuals must pay a staggering £9,544,355 between them by 28 August as an initial contribution to the publisher's legal costs.

A further hearing will determine the total sum.

"The claimants and their advisers have been on notice, since the hearing, that this would be the date for payment on account," he ruled.

The judge also decided that the costs paid by the publisher should be determined on an indemnity basis - a more favourable option for the Daily Mail in terms of the amount it can recover.

Sir Elton John will also be forced to pay (Belinda Jiao/Getty Images)

The publisher, also behind the Mail On Sunday, has requested an interim payment of over £9.9 million. The lawyers of the claimants, however, insist this should be held at £7.9 million.

ANL described the ruling on costs in failed claims brought by Harry and co as a 'devastating critique of an attempt to destroy a newspaper and the reputations of its journalists, editors and executives'.

The latest ruling was made just two days after palace insiders confirmed that Prince Harry would be returning to the UK with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, later this summer.

The couple fled from the father-of-two's home country in 2020, simultaneously resigning from their roles as senior royals, citing mistreatment from certain members of the monarchy and abuse from the British press.

The couple will return to the UK later this summer (Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images)

Reports say Harry and Meghan will retain their property in Montecito, California, where they've resided for the last six years, but will relocate back to the UK, where they'll live in a non-royal residence outside London.

Their children have reportedly enrolled at schools in the area and will begin attending in September.