Prince Harry faced a fresh setback after revealing plans to return to the UK with his family.
A High Court judge has ordered Prince Harry, Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and four other claimants to pay Associated Newspapers Limited an initial £9.54 million after losing their landmark privacy case.
As per the court order, the payment must be made by August 28.
Harry and the other claimants, including David Furnish, Simon Hughes, Sadie Frost and Doreen Lawrence, accused ANL of unlawful information-gathering, allegations the publisher repeatedly denied.
Justice Nicklin set the interim sum after ANL sought more than £9.9 million, while the claimants argued for about £7.9 million.
The claims were dismissed on July 7 after Nicklin ruled they had failed to substantiate their allegations.
Dozens of witnesses testified, with Prince Harry travelling from the US to appear in court. Former and current ANL staff denied illegal conduct.
The £9.54 million payment covers costs pending further hearings.
In a joint statement issued after last month's ruling, Prince Harry and Baroness Lawrence, whose son Stephen was murdered in 1993, said: "We came to Court seeking justice and accountability. But we have received neither."
They described the outcome as "a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s plan to relocate to the UK
The ruling arrives days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced plans to relocate to the UK with their children.
Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, have been enrolled at a school in the UK and are due to begin classes in September.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex plan to relocate from California back to Britain later this month, settling in a non-royal property outside London more than six years after their departure.
