Prince Harry's lawyers are back in court today following the Duke of Sussex's legal victory against the publisher of the Daily Mirror, Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN).
The Duke of Sussex was awarded £140,600 in damages after Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in December 2023 that phone hacking became “widespread and habitual” at MGN titles in the late 1990s.
The judge also ruled that the publisher hacked Prince Harry’s phone “to a modest extent”.
A hearing before Costs Judge Nagalingam will take place today at the Royal Courts of Justice.
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Harry first sued MGN in 2019, accusing it of phone hacking and unlawful information gathering (UIG).
During the case, the publisher admitted to instructing private investigators to obtain private information in at least one instance (related to Harry’s visits to Chenawhite nightclub).
Harry was cross-examined in June 2023 — making history as the first royal since the 19th century to take the stand in such a case.
In December 2023, the High Court ruled in Harry’s favour on 15 of 33 sample articles.
Prince Harry's lawyers back in court as Mirror costs battle continues after phone-hacking victory
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The judge found that phone hacking was “extensive” at MGN between 2006 and 2011, even during the Leveson inquiry.
Harry was awarded £140,600 in damages. The court also ordered MGN to pay legal costs, initially estimated to be close to £2million.
In February 2024, Harry and MGN reached a settlement. The terms included paying his legal costs, “substantial” damages, and an interim payment of £400,000 while the full amount was finalised.
MGN denied wrongdoing in broader terms but accepted liability in the specific cases judged.
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The Duke of Sussex leaving the Rolls Buildings in central London after giving evidence in the phone hacking trial against Mirror Group Newspapers in June 2023
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After the settlement, Harry said the “mission continues”, meaning that he plans to keep holding the press accountable.
The Duke's lawyers are appearing before Costs Judge Nagalingam at the Royal Courts of Justice today to determine how much of Harry’s legal costs MGN must pay.
The original big decision came in December 2023, but the legal fight did not end with that ruling.
Even after the damages award, the parties still need to settle or determine how much the publisher pays in legal costs, which is what today's meeting is about.
The decision of who pays how much for the legal fight itself is a matter separate from the liability decision.
The Mirror case is one of several legal fights Harry has with British tabloids.
The Duke has also taken action (and in some cases settled) claims against News Group Newspapers (NGN), the publisher behind The Sun and News of the World.
In January 2025, Harry settled with NGN over alleged phone hacking and misuse of private data between 1996 and 2011. As part of that deal, NGN offered a public apology.
His ongoing case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the Daily Mail publisher, is currently playing out in court.
The Mirror settlement is often referenced as part of Prince Harry's broader media strategy.
Harry’s win against MGN is widely viewed as a landmark moment, that is, a royal openly challenging tabloid practices in court.
The case exposed how deeply embedded hacking and other forms of unlawful practices were in British tabloids during the latter part of the 20th century.
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