Prince Harry and Elton John have been ordered to pay Associated Newspapers Limited $13 million in initial legal fees after their privacy case was dismissed in July. The ruling covers the pair and five other claimants who sued the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday over alleged unlawful information gathering. David Furnish , Elizabeth Hurley , Sadie Frost , Doreen Lawrence and Sir Simon Hughes joined the 2022 lawsuit, which accused the newspapers of hacking, phone tapping and bugging tied to stories published between 1993 and 2011. Justice Matthew Nicklin ruled that the group failed to prove its claims. How Much Could Prince Harry Owe? According to the BBC, the seven claimants could ultimately face as much as $34 million in legal costs, on top of the initial $13 million bill. The group has until October 2 to seek permission to appeal, while insurance reportedly covers up to $22 million of the potential liability. The 11 week trial generated roughly $53.5 million in combined legal expenses. Associated Newspapers called the ruling a devastating critique of an effort to damage the publisher and the reputations of its journalists, editors and executives; the company has consistently denied wrongdoing and said the articles came from lawful sources. The case was Prince Harry's third and final lawsuit against a U.K. tabloid publisher. Prince Harry settled with News Group Newspapers in January after receiving what the company described as a full apology, and he won a separate phone hacking case against Mirror Group Newspapers in late 2023.