Prince Harry, more celebs ordered to pay $13M after lawsuit loss

Cybersecarmor.com – It's shaping up to be an expensive week for Prince Harry .

Just as the duke, Duchess Meghan and their children prepare to move from California back to Britain, a judge has ordered Harry, Elton John and a handful of other claimants to pay almost $ 13 million to Associated Newspapers Limited, publisher of the Daily Mail, MailOnline and the Mail on Sunday.

An initial payment of $13 million (£9,544,355) toward ANL's legal costs must be made by 4 p.m. on Aug. 28, the judge ruled on Friday. This is just the first round of legal costs. The final figure will be determined at a later hearing.

The judge has not enforced a cap on the total costs Harry and the other claimants may face.

The group of seven lost their lawsuit against the publisher last month after alleging that the publications unlawfully gathered information for their reporting. Supposed privacy breaches include voicemail interception, phone hacking and obtaining personal information through deception.

Associated Newspapers denied the allegations, calling them "preposterous" and arguing at trial that its journalists relied on legitimate sources, including royal aides.

On July 7, as Prince Harry attended an event in London, all claims against the British publisher were thrown out.

In a statement shared after last month's ruling, Harry and Baroness Doreen Lawrence told USA TODAY that the verdict was "a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected," adding that "the lengths to which the Court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted."

On Aug. 21, the judge noted it was "striking" that "not a single allegation of serious wrongdoing was voluntarily withdrawn" by the group of claimants. "That matters. Serious allegations of criminality or grave impropriety cannot properly be left hanging over individuals in that way," the judge said.

ANL said it spent £35 million ($48 million) defending the claims in court. The BBC reports that the seven individuals had insurance covering up to £16.2 million of ANL's costs in the event of a loss in the lawsuit. This means the group could still be forced to pay £18 million.

Earlier this week, The Telegraph reported that the Sussexes, who left the U.K. in 2020 and stepped back from their roles as working royals, would be moving back to Harry's home country with their son Prince Archie, 7, and daughter, Princess Lilibet, 5.

USA TODAY understands that the family of four will land on British soil within the next ten days and that the children are due to start school in September.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's shock UK return – Everything we know

In the Aug. 21 ruling, the judge said the ​additional costs should be paid on an "indemnity basis," meaning the British publisher does not need to demonstrate they were reasonable and proportionate.

The group of claimants, which includes John's husband, David Furnish, and British actress Liz Hurley, has until Oct. 2 to decide whether they should launch an appeal.