Bombshell Prince Harry decision days away after his brutal attack

A major court decision is looming for Prince Harry as he waits to discover how much he and his fellow celebrity claimants must pay towards the enormous legal costs of their failed case against the publisher of the Daily Mail. The Duke of Sussex, 41, joined a string of famous faces, including Sir Elton John, Elizabeth Hurley, and Sadie Frost, in bringing legal action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

But their case spectacularly collapsed last month when Mr Justice Nicklin dismissed the claims in their entirety following an 11-week trial at London’s High Court. Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence subsequently launched a blistering attack on the outcome, branding the decision a “complete and obvious whitewash” and insisting: “We came to court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither.”

Now the financial consequences of that defeat are about to become clearer as the judge is expected to hand down his decision on costs this week.

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With tens of millions of pounds at stake, the ruling could prove another painful blow for the Duke following his emphatic courtroom defeat.

Harry was one of seven claimants who took ANL to court, alleging that private investigators, journalists and others working for the publisher had used unlawful methods to obtain private information.

The allegations included voicemail interception, landline tapping and obtaining information through deception - claims ANL strongly denied throughout the proceedings.

Now, attention has turned to the eye-watering bill left behind by the failed legal action, with the High Court told last month that ANL had incurred around £34.5million in costs.

The publisher sought an interim payment of almost £10million from the claimants, while their lawyers offered £8million and confirmed they had insurance covering up to £16million.

That could still leave a substantial shortfall, although the final amount the group will be required to pay remains in the court's hands.

At the conclusion of the costs hearing, Mr Justice Nicklin said he would determine a “global” interim sum to be divided between the seven claimants, with payment due by August 28.

Another crucial question is whether ANL’s costs will be assessed on the standard or indemnity basis, with the publisher pushing for the latter at last month’s hearing.

Lawyers for the claimants accepted that a costs order should follow their defeat, but argued that the additional penalty of indemnity costs would not be justified.

Any arguments over a potential appeal have meanwhile been deferred until the financial issues are settled, leaving the immediate focus firmly on the potentially eye-watering bill.