Aug. 24, 2026
Prince Harry Faces £9.5 Million Legal-Cost Order as Questions Grow Over the Sussexes’ UK Return
How much will Prince Harry personally owe after he and six other claimants were ordered to make an initial £9.5 million payment toward the Daily Mail publisher’s legal costs? Why were their unlawful-information-gathering claims dismissed—and what happens next in the costs dispute?Meanwhile, royal commentators are asking why Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly failed to mention their planned move during tea with King Charles at Highgrove.
Are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returning for new commercial ventures, a European launch of Meghan’s As ever brand or another attempt to reconnect with royal life? Have American audiences simply grown tired of the Sussex story?Plus, did Meghan want to replace Kamala Harris in the United States Senate? Did Harry and Meghan request an Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden and accommodations at Blair House?
We examine the disputed reports about the Sussexes’ American political ambitions—and why the White House may have wanted to avoid becoming involved in a Royal Family feud.
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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.
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Callarogus Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I
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am your host, Mark Francis. On Friday, Prince Harry and
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six other high profile claimants were ordered to make an
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initial payment of nine and a half million pounds toward
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the Daily Mail publisher's legal costs after losing their High
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Court privacy case. Mister Justice Nicklin ordered the payment two
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Associated Newspapers Limited, which spent approximately thirty four million pounds
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defending itself during the forty five day trial. The final
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amount of the claimants will have to pay has not
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yet been determined. The remaining costs will be decided at
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a future hearing. Harry brought the case alongside six other
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public figures, including Sir Elton John and Baroness Doreen Lawrence.
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They had accused Associated Newspapers of unlawful information gathering, including
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allegations involving landline interception, private investment gators, listening devices and
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obtaining private records through deception. Associated Newspapers denied the allegations
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and the claims were comprehensively dismissed in July. The publisher
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is now celebrating the latest costs ruling as another major victory.
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A spokesperson for Associated Newspapers said his judgment is a
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devastating critique of an attempt to destroy a newspaper and
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the reputation of its journalists, editors and executives. From well
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before the trial started, the claimant's lawyers knew that their
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main witness had denied making the preposterous allegations on which
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the claims were based. Despite this collapse in evidence to
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support the extremely serious allegations of abhorrent criminal activity, crimes
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and terrible and reprehensible covert acts by the Mail, they
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were emblazoned in a lurid press release issued on behalf
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of Baroness Lawrence, Prince Harry and other claimants, with the
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exception of Sir Simon Hughes. The allegations were not withdrawn
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and were pursued until the bitter end of the trie.
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The immediate question is how that nine and a half
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million pound bill will be divided among Harry and the
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other claimants. The ruling cited does not establish Harry's individual share. Meanwhile,
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several Royal commentators abzoned in on the notion that King
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Charles was only informed of the Sussex Big move last Weekend.
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Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond tells The Daily Mail,
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if I was the King, I'd actually be thinking, hang on,
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you came to tea with me and we sat down
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and we chatted and you didn't even mention this. I
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find it entirely odd. I wish that they wouldn't operate
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in this kind of secret way. Why didn't they just
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put out a clear statement, just tell us the facts.
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But we are all left here just surmising and guessing
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it their reasons in the mirror at Russell Meyer's writes,
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despite being welcomed into the monarch's home at Highgrove just
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six weeks ago to sit at the table for tea,
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cake and a slice of reconciliation, neither the absent Duke
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nor Duchess thought to mention this major life decision on
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the horizon, regardless of the reason they chose to remain
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so koy. The in fact alone tells you how perverse
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and damaged relations between the two camps are at present.
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Still the King has grinned and bared it on this occasion,
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no doubt, whether a sigh of further dismay at his
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youngest son's behavior. While being delighted he will get to
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see his grandchildren more frequently. But before I digress further,
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and for those at the back, why now so are
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they coming back for a new venture, a euro launch
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of Meghan's lifestyle brand, or do they actually think they
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have a chance of winning the hearts and minds of
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the British public, who will rush to their defense and
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launch petitions on masts to bring them back into the
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royal fold for our mutual benefit. As it stands, no
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one knows the full picture, but quite frankly, at this
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stage anything can happen. What I do know at least
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is one particular side of the family will remain determined
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to not be derailed. The Prince and Princess of Wales
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have not only emerged stronger from the darkness of the
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last couple of years, with the Princess's cancer battle and
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William having to consider his future role may come sooner
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in light of the King's own health issues and regardless
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of their private views of the latest crazy development within
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the House of windsor further to that, for now, at
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least the King and Prince William are completely united that
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there is no space for Harry and Meghan to be
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half in, half out Royals. Even if they were to
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give up all their corporate gigs, which they have earned
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tens of millions and pounds for. In the process of
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trashing the family from afar, using hurtful and damaging allegations
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of abandonment, threats and even racism to drive a sledgehammer
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through the institution, how on earth could they be let
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back in. Christopher Buckton writes for The Daily Mail, America
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has not suddenly become hostile to Harry and Meghan. They
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remain famous, but Stateside celebrity is a vicious market. Novelty
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wears off, audiences move on, attacks grow wearisome, and executives
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eventually ask what they are actually getting for their money.
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Even comedy became a warning sign. When South Park mocked
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the couple in twenty twenty three, the significance went beyond
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a cartoon joke. Eagan had crossed from being treated largely
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as serious figures in a royal drama to becoming fair
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game in popular culture. That is why I returned to
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Britain now makes so much sense. In California, they became
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two celebrities among thousands of celebrities in Britain, Harriers immediately
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the King's son again. Every arrival, charity appearance, and family
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encounter carries an added significance that is difficult to recreate
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in Montecito. There is also a cleverness in giving America
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some breathing space. The Sussexes have spent years telling their
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story through interviews, documentaries, podcasts, books, in television. At some point,
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even sympathetic audiences can feel they have heard enough. Absence
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can restore curiosity. Distance can make a familiar celebrity interesting again,
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more palicy just a moment. The New York Posters reporting
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that Prince Harry and Megan Michael made several attempts to
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build political influence in the US during their years in California.
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The most striking claim is that Meghan was interested in
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being considered for the US Senate seat vacated by Kamala
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Harris when Harris became Vice president. According to a source
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cited by the Post, Megan wanted a meeting with California
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Governor Gavin Newsom in late twenty twenty because she wanted
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to be considered to be appointed to Harris's seat. The
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source said the meeting was publicly described as a Welcome
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to California conversation. Newsom's office did confirm at the time
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that the governor had an introductory meeting with Harry and
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Meghan on October nineteenth, twenty twenty, although it did not
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disclose what was discussed. A source close to the Sussex's
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firmly denied to the Post that Megan wanted the Senate appointment.
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Newson ultimately selected Alex Padea, then California's Secretary of State,
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to fill Harris's seat. The Post also reports that Harry
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and Meghan later sought a meeting with President Joe Biden
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at the White House. Multiple sources told the paper that
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in late twenty twenty one, the couple requested an Oval
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Office meeting and also asked about staying at Blair House,
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the government guest residence normal used for visiting foreign leaders.
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The requests were reportedly rejected. One source said such a
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meeting would have caused a major diplomaticfuffle with the British
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government and the royal family. A former Biden aide told
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the Post that the President and First Lady Jill Biden
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didn't want to get into a family squabble during the
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twenty twenty presidential election campaign, Harry and Meghan appeared in
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a Time magazine video encouraging Americans to vote. Harry spoke
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about rejecting hate speech, and the comments were widely interpreted
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as politically significant because members of the British royal family
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traditionally avoid partisan politics. Donald Trump responded at the time, saying,
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I wish a lot of luck to Harry, because he's
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going to need it. Meghan also contacted US senators in
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twenty twenty one while campaigning for federally mandated paid family leave.
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The Post says Harry and Meghan also hired several advisers
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with connections to the Obama administration. Among them was Miranda Barbo,
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who later became Harry's chief of staff. Former White House
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Press Secretary Jen Saki also described an unusual interaction with
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Megan and her memoir, saying more Saki wrote that Meghan
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sent a box of lemons to her Virginia home so
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Saki could bring them through White House security and deliver
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them to Jill Biden. Jill was a regular supporter of
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the Invictors Games and was frequently photographed with Harry at
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events before becoming First Lady, and there you have it
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if you'd like to, email us and addresses the Palace
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Intrigue at gmail and dot com. If you're listening on Spotify,
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leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that
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button that says listen uninterrupted and get the show commercial
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free for just five bucks a month. We appreciate your support.
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I'm Mark Francis My thanks to John McDermott. This is
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Palace Intrigue. Good Times,
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00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:59.240
136
00:07:59.399 --> 00:08:03.240
137
00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:06.680
138
00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:10.319
139
00:08:10.360 --> 00:08:12.600
140
00:08:13.160 --> 00:08:16.319
141
00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:19.639
142
00:08:19.680 --> 00:08:22.759
143
00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:26.519
144
00:08:26.759 --> 00:08:28.720
145
00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:33.000
146
00:08:33.159 --> 00:08:34.960
147
00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.399
148
00:08:37.399 --> 00:08:40.320
149
00:08:40.559 --> 00:08:42.840
150
00:08:42.879 --> 00:08:45.039
