Prince Harry's Legal Battle: Taxpayers Foot $650K Bill, His Next Move Will Shock You!

Prince Harry's lawsuit against the British government has been a costly affair, with taxpayers footing a bill of nearly $650,000. 

However, legal experts suggest that Harry himself might end up bearing most of these costs, along with his own legal expenses.

The Duke of Sussex took legal action against the Home Office twice over the decision to remove his police protection team, a case he ultimately lost in February. Despite this, his legal team has expressed their intention to appeal the decision. A Freedom of Information request by The Daily Telegraph revealed that British taxpayers have already paid out £514,000, which is just short of $650,000.

If Harry loses his appeal, he is likely to be responsible for the majority of the costs, in addition to his legal fees, potentially pushing the final bill beyond the £1 million mark. According to Mark Stephens, a legal expert from the U.K. law firm Howard Kennedy, Harry's total costs could exceed a million considering the expenses involved in assembling evidence.

Stephens pointed out that while many of Harry's cases have been handled on a 'no win, no fee' basis, this case is an exception because judicial reviews cannot be undertaken in this manner. He believes that the decision to appeal indicates that Harry's legal team is confident in the strength of their case, as losing the appeal would be a significant setback.

If Harry wins the appeal, the costs will have to be borne by British taxpayers, but if he loses, he may incur additional costs associated with the appeals process. The next step in the process is for the Court of Appeal to decide whether to grant him permission to appeal, a process that could cost around £25,000 if unsuccessful.

Even if Harry is granted permission to appeal but ultimately loses after a full hearing, the costs could rise to around £100,000. Stephens explained that these costs primarily relate to legal procedures and do not involve extensive evidence gathering.

A win for Harry would mean avoiding a substantial financial burden and would force the government to reconsider its decision to remove his police team. However, there is a possibility that the government could reach the same decision using a different process, irrespective of the appeal's outcome.

In another ongoing case, Harry faces potential costs from a libel lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday, estimated to be around £750,000. Combining these costs, Harry could be facing a total bill of over $2 million. Despite winning a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers, which resulted in damages of just over £140,000, any gains from that case are unlikely to offset the costs of the other two cases.

Given the substantial financial stakes, Harry has much to gain from a successful appeal against the government.