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Prince Harry and co-claimants face nearly £18.3m insurance funding gap
The High Court is holding a costs hearing after dismissing the privacy claim, with Associated Newspapers Limited seeking an interim payment of £9,950,624.37.
A London High Court heard that a dispute involving Prince Harry and six co-claimants has produced a widening gap between their adverse costs insurance and the legal bills now sought in a privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail. According to Insurance Business, the claimants hold a combined £16.2 million in insurance cover, while Associated Newspapers Limited legal spending reported over the four-year case and 11-week trial has reached £34.5 million, leaving nearly £18.3 million short of the cover. The court also heard the losing side will be assessed on costs after Justice Nicklin dismissed the claim in its entirety on July 7, 2026. Insurance Business reports that Associated Newspapers Limited is seeking an interim payment of £9,950,624.37, while the claimants have offered £8 million. The proceeding underscores how quickly litigation costs can outgrow a policy limit once cases extend through years of hearings, disclosure battles, and trial.
Insurance Business said Anthony White KC, representing Associated Newspapers Limited, argued that the claimants' conduct justifies indemnity costs rather than the standard basis, under which a losing party typically pays the winning side without needing to show costs were proportionate. White characterized the lawsuit as an attempt to show the publisher misled the Leveson Inquiry and said the allegations were broad, naming 77 journalists, editors, and executives even though only 23 ultimately featured in the claims, with some allegations dropped during trial without explanation.