Prince Harry was just beginning to breathe a sigh of relief after receiving good news from the United Kingdom when he received a serious warning about his legal activities.
The Duke of Sussex finally has his security protocol under review by the UK Home Office for the first time in six years after his departure from the royal family. Police protection is one of the legal cases Harry is fighting; He is also suing British tabloids for illegally extracting information for their articles.
On Tuesday, Harry and six other high-profile plaintiffs received a stern warning from judges about the significant financial implications if the case does not go their way. They were involved in a £38m privacy case against DailyMail and were told of the “consequences” of the case in a ruling by Judge David Cook and Judge Nicklin, according to The Telegraph report.
The seven claimants who were given the “clearest possible understanding” could collectively face costs of £14.1 million if they lost the case to Associated Newspapers.
“Whether that means individual claimants need to re-evaluate their ATE [after the event insurance] coverage, that can only be in their own interest,” the ruling states.
“It is particularly important that this issue be addressed at this time as substantial costs have already been incurred and the parties will soon incur more substantial costs in preparation for next year’s trial.”
Although the verdict on police protection is expected to come next month, the case against the DailyMail editors will also go to trial around the same time.
