Prince Harry, Elton John, others to pay $13m to Daily Mail publisher after losing privacy case

Prince Harry, Elton John and five other high-profile figures have been ordered to make an initial payment of £9.54 million ($13 million) to the publisher of the Daily Mail after losing their lawsuit alleging unlawful information gathering.

The payment was ordered by London's High Court on August 21 and covers part of the legal costs incurred by Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. The claimants have until August 28 to make the payment.

Harry, John, Doreen Lawrence, David Furnish, Sadie Frost, Elizabeth Hurley and former Liberal Democrat politician Simon Hughes had brought the case against Associated Newspapers, accusing its publications of using unlawful methods to obtain private information about them.

Their allegations included claims of phone hacking, obtaining private information through deception and using private investigators to gather details about their personal lives. Associated Newspapers strongly denied the accusations.

Following an 11-week trial earlier this year, Justice Matthew Nicklin dismissed the claimants' cases last month, finding that they had not provided sufficient evidence to establish that the publisher had obtained information through unlawful means.

The ruling represented a significant defeat for Harry, who has spent years pursuing legal action against British newspapers over allegations that the press unlawfully intruded into his private life.

Harry reacted strongly to the judgment, describing it as a "complete and obvious whitewash." Associated Newspapers, meanwhile, described the decision as a major victory for its journalists and for press freedom.

The latest ruling concerns an interim payment toward Associated Newspapers' legal costs rather than the final amount the claimants could ultimately be required to pay.

The publisher's lawyers previously told the court that its total legal bill for the case had reached more than £34 million ($45 million). Associated Newspapers had sought an interim payment of around £10 million, while the claimants had proposed paying £8 million and said they had insurance covering up to £16 million.

The court's decision therefore leaves open the possibility of further costs being awarded once the full amount is determined.

The lawsuit was part of Harry's wider campaign against the British press, which has included separate legal battles involving other newspaper groups. In this case, however, the judge's dismissal means Harry and his fellow claimants have not established that Associated Newspapers unlawfully gathered information about them.

The financial ruling comes at a particularly significant time for Harry. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, are preparing to move back to the UK with their children after several years living in California, although they are not expected to resume working royal duties.

For now, the £9.54 million payment is an immediate financial consequence of the failed case, with the final legal bill still to be determined.