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A judge ruled that Prince Harry must pay nearly 50,000 pounds (over $60,000) in legal fees to the Daily Mail tabloid’s publisher after a failed court challenge in a libel lawsuit. The lawsuit stemmed from an article suggesting Harry concealed attempts to keep publicly funded protection in the U.K. after leaving the royal family. Justice Matthew Nicklin stated that the publisher had a credible chance of proving Harry’s issued statements were misleading and that the article represented an “honest opinion,” not libel. Despite Harry’s claim that the article was “fundamentally inaccurate” and defamatory, the court refused to dismiss the honest opinion defense. Another lawsuit against the government’s decision to protect Harry on a case-by-case basis is pending, with the trial set between May 17 and July 31. The ordered legal fees by Dec. 29 might pale compared to expenses in another lawsuit Harry filed against the publisher over alleged unlawful means used by tabloids to gather information. Associated Newspapers failed to dismiss the lawsuit but succeeded in excluding some evidence from the trial. The judge is reviewing the costs of legal representation for both parties in this case. Additionally, Harry, along with Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley, incurred 1.7 million ($2.1 million) in preparation and litigation expenses for a hearing in March, while the publisher seeks up to 755,000 pounds ($949,000).
