Lawyers for Duke of Sussex and MGN in dispute over legal cost

The Duke of Sussex’s successful legal case against the publisher of the Mirror newspaper has returned to court in a costs dispute.

Harry previously sued Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), claiming journalists at its publications were linked to methods including phone hacking, so-called “blagging” – gaining information by deception – and use of private investigators for unlawful activities.

Mr Justice Fancourt ruled in December 2023 that phone hacking became “widespread and habitual” at MGN titles in the late 1990s, and that it hacked Harry’s phone “to a modest extent”.

He awarded the duke £140,600 in damages after finding 15 articles about Harry were the product of unlawful information gathering.

Harry then settled the remaining parts of his claim against the publisher last year.

The case returned to the High Court on Tuesday because of a dispute over one part of Harry’s legal costs.

Lawyers for MGN disputed the around £1 million cost, thought to be related to insurance, as unreasonable, while lawyers for Harry said the expenditure was “reasonable”.

Costs Judge Prinz Nagalingam will give a judgment at a later date.