High Court judge ‘concerned’ about costs of Prince Harry’s phone hacking case

A High Court judge has warned that Prince Harry is “concerned” about the high cost of his phone hacking case against the publishers of the Daily Mail.

Duke of Sussex He is one of seven high-profile individuals who have sued Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over alleged misuse of private information.

Other plaintiffs in the case include Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and Baroness Lawrence, the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence.

At the two-day preliminary hearing, Judge Nicklin told lawyers representing both sides that “the court is concerned about the proportionality of costs”.

He advised them: “You have the right to spend as much as you want… but the question is how much you can earn back.”

The hearing was told the costs for both parties would total more than £38 million.

The judge also touched on the costs of other civil cases, questioning whether the legal teams in this case were “a million miles from reality” with the figures discussed.

He also asked whether an agreement could be reached to avoid a full trial.

But David Sherborne, a lawyer representing the Duke of Sussex and other plaintiffs, said “non-monetary assistance” was also important.

The plaintiffs make a number of claims against the newspaper group, including the hacking of voicemails, the use of private detectives to bug cars and the “defamation” of private personal information.

The lawsuit also names actress Sadie Frost, David Furnish and former Liberal Democrat MP Sir Simon Hughes.

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This is part of Prince Harry’s long-running battle with Fleet Street. Won the award last year Case against Mirror publishersThere was evidence of court-ordered “widespread and habitual” phone hacking.

The duke brings it too Lawsuit against News Group NewspapersThe trial is expected to begin in January 2025, the Sun and defunct News of the World publishers said.

Associated Newspapers Limited categorically denies any wrongdoing and disputes all of the plaintiffs’ allegations.

A trial date has been set for January 2026, and hearings are scheduled to last nine weeks.

(c) Sky News 2024: High Court judge ‘concerned’ about costs of Prince Harry’s phone hacking case