Duke of Sussex & Others vs ANL: thread 5

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This is the fifth thread discussing the case Prince Harry (and 6 others) brought against the Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers Limited; ANL) for alleged unlawful information gathering (UIG).
The claimants were: Prince Harry (PH); Doreen Lawrence (DL); Liz Hurley (EH/LH); Elton John (EJ); David Furnish (DF); Simon Hughes (SH); Sadie Frost (SF). They were represented by David Sherborne (DS).
The defendant (ANL) was represented by Anthony White (AMW).

Judgement was handed down by Judge Nicklin on 7th July 2026.
All claims were dismissed.
Links to the summary and full judgement are below.
We are currently awaiting decisions around costs, with the next hearing due on 29-30th July.

The threads to date were thorough discussions of the evidence (so far as we were able to obtain it), with posters giving links and explaining their views.
Following the judgement, we discussed the judgement itself, the reaction, statements made by different parties and ongoing relevant issues.

We have mostly kept things civil by avoiding more general discussion on Royal Family members, which can become partisan, and trying not to be derailed from the main topic of the thread.

We have occasionally included (when things slowed with the title case) other cases or discussions with a specific theme of free speech/press freedom, particularly when related to those with money or power preventing others from speaking.

Links to previous threads
Thread 1
Thread 2
Thread 3
Thread 4

There was limited direct reporting from court after the celebrities gave evidence; what there we followed on this link
Sky news link to court case

Summary judgement

Full judgement

Thanks for the information @Serenster and @NormalAuntFanny

So basically law firms approach 'no win no fee' cases like a high risk investment? If you win, you could profit massively. If you lose, you come away empty handed.

Am I right in saying the 'no win no fee' only applies to Bouffant personally? All the other legal staff will still have to be paid by the unsuccessful claimants?

@AnAutumnCrow. DS knows these people! Certainly Elt and Harry. The solicitors would know him and he’s not needing to tout for business on a no fee no win basis!

@NormalAuntFanny You are so wrong about barrister fees! This set are the Rolls Royce of media barristers. They will be a fortune! Or would have been!

@IcedPurple A barristers fee is usually based on court but at DSs level, the prep is immense for 42 days in court. Plus everyone is overlooking he was suooorted by 2 KCs and I think 3 juniors. He’s not working alone on this . £500 an hour would not come close!! You have no idea what top barristers earn and he will be earning £millions!

This is what I'm asking. The assistants will have to be paid. Will Sherborne be on the hook because of 'no win no fee'? Or do the claimants still have to pay them?

You have no idea what top barristers earn and he will be earning £millions!

Well, clearly he won't be earning millions in this particular case.

DH is a barrister, I do know how the breakdown between solicitors and barristers fees works.

For every hour boufie bills his very expensive solicitors will probably bill 5 or 6. There will be partners, juniors and paralegals all billing all the time. The partners will be on a higher hourly rate than him and will charge for rolling over in bed, thinking about the case and farting whilst thinking about the case.

@NormalAuntFanny So is dd and this set are top drawer. Not sure what your DH earns but £500 an hour (and it’s daily fees normally) gets you a junior junior in London. These guys had 2 KCs on the case. They and the solicitors will have prepared the 92 claims meticulously.

£3000 an hour (for the best of the best) is the most I have seen!

That is for litigation - silks in other fields, like specialist tax advice, can charge even more…

This perhaps gives a better perspective than other posters can give. DS is pretty near the top of the tree. Plus you have the other 5.

(I should add, the £3000 an hour was the rate ultimately negotiated with the clerk, not the starting point 😀 )

This case certainly skirts the boundaries whereby Harry became convinced to join the case after his cosy chat with Sherborne at Elton's house (having been given the full VIP/private plane treatment to get him there ....)

It seems more sinister now we have seen those background e-mails with the "type" of claimant that Hacked Off were desperate recruit - and yet it was Sherborne who directly recruited one of these "types" - Prince Harry, who was (in 2019) considered a National Treasure and most famous for his dead mother, killed while attempting to dodge paps.

Is there any risk for Sherbone that it is clear he was involved in persuading Harry to start his case rather than waiting for contact from Harry's solicitor?

I think we are talking at cross purposes.

The solicitor bills the client, the barrister bills the solicitor for work done by the hour. (Except during a trial when you get a daily rate.)

For every hour the barrister bills, or the team of barristers, say a kc and a junior) the firm of solicitors will be billing multiplies of that. That is how every single case is.

For example every meeting between Sherbert and the solicitors would involve 2 or 3 solicitors and the barrister if not more. They will then go away and prepare documents, talk to clients or whatever and that work will involve multiple solicitors per barrister.

At the end of the case the solicitors costs will be enormously more than the barristers costs.

I'm not going to say DHs rate (which is enormous, lol) but for reference the government pays about 270 an hour for a senior Chancery silk, a good non government rate is more than twice that but not many get those rates.

@NormalAuntFanny Why do you keep
insisting DS is in his own? He’s not. They have had 5 others on this and thst included 2 KCs. The solicitors do prep the case but all the advocacy and court work is down to the barristers team. It was not just DS. His fees alone are stellar.

Sherborne did not say that in his interview with the Financial Times.

https://archive.is/Wo6iZ

DD doesn’t go near government work for that reason. It’s a very low rate! Not that her line of work these days has anything to do with the government!

Why do you keep insisting DS is in his own?

She's not. No-one is.

This is a waste of time now. Pigeons stuff. I'm out.

That’s entirely up to you but a team of barristers has worked on this, so
its not just a team of solicitors.

It’s getting very tedious now.

Quite

This thread isn’t as measured as it used to be! , I was tempted to add my thoughts earlier but didn’t want to be criticised.

Anyhoo ...

Here's the link to the alleged Harry / Elton / ANL stuff from Sky News Australia.

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/i-am-not-an-atm-sir-elton-john-gives-prince-harry-a-piece-of-his-mind-after-duke-allegedly-asks-him-to-bankroll-invictus-and-legal-costs/news-story/c53ee2bda50f55d8dd6316e2f4454ac4

'I am not an ATM': Sir Elton John gives Prince Harry a piece of his mind after Duke allegedly asks him to bankroll Invictus and legal costs

'plea for cash has allegedly left Prince Harry at odds with Sir Elton John, who is said to have reached the end of his tether, according to a royal expert.'

I wonder if HAM will resist the urge to comment / leak a 'clap back'? Maybe that's what the story is designed to do - provoke?

Just to say, despite the bickering (it doesn’t read to me actually like you’re disagreeing as such, just describing the same thing in different ways), I really appreciate all the posters with specific knowledge of the legal system sharing their insights here. I can’t wait to see how this all shakes out.

@jeffgoldblum I guess I’m holding my ground - sorry if that’s not measured. The issue of costs will come out in the wash on 29/30 July for ANL. Not sure we will know what the claimants costs are. But guessing is just a bit of fun really!

I get that weird "no cookies" page for that link

Is this the same story?

https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/i-am-not-an-atm-sir-elton-john-gives-prince-harry-a-piece-of-his-mind-after-duke-allegedly-asks-him-to-bankroll-invictus-and-legal-costs/news-story/c53ee2bda50f55d8dd6316e2f4454ac4

Oh I see it's exactly the same link duh! Sorry