Prince Harry faces a £10 million upfront payment demand and a potential £34 million legal bill after the High Court threw out his privacy case against Daily Mail publisher Associated Newspapers. The publisher confirmed it is asking the court to order Harry and fellow claimants, including Sir Elton John and Liz Hurley, to cover the entire legal costs for both sides following a two-day hearing this week.
The High Court dismissed the Duke of Sussex's "speculative" suit, citing a lack of evidence. Associated Newspapers' lawyers argued that the claimants wasted substantial time and money pursuing shifting allegations without solid proof. Harry's legal team called the £34 million sum "astonishingly high" and claimed the publisher is using its financial weight to punish the group for speaking out. Harry has labelled the loss a "whitewash".
Popularity rises despite legal setback
His recent UK return was overshadowed by disputes over where he would stay and the legal defeat, but there is now a feeling of optimism around the Duke. He could stay at Buckingham Palace when he travels back to the UK in September.
A recent YouGov survey shows his popularity has risen for the first time in six years, with 33% of Brits viewing him positively, placing him eighth. He has accused his father's court of a "good old-fashioned establishment stitch up", but the new poll suggests a shift in public opinion.
York sisters fall below Harry
The same poll shows Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie have plunged below Prince Harry for the first time ever. Beatrice holds a 30% positive rating and Eugenie 29%, placing them above Meghan Markle, who has 22% and sits second-to-last, just ahead of the disgraced former Duke of York with a record-low 2%.
The sisters have been tainted by association, having watched the mess their parents, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, have caused over the past year.
King Charles loses right-hand man
Buckingham Palace has announced that the King's private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, will retire next year, coinciding with his 60th birthday, after 11 years in the job and 20 years of royal service.
Alderton said: "It has been the greatest imaginable honour to serve The King and Queen in my present role through such historic times and with unforgettable humour along the way. That support will continue, in a less formal capacity, for all of my life." Harry, who described Alderton as "the wasp" in his memoir Spare, may not share the same reverence for his departure. Whether the Palace shift will work in Harry's favour remains to be seen.
