<p id=”par-1_15″>Prince Harry’s recent legal setback could be a critical blow for him and Meghan Markle. </p>
<p id=”par-2_34″>The <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/prince-harrys-former-assistant-reveals-meghan-needs-return-uk.html/”>Duke of Sussex</a> might be on the hook for tens of millions in legal fees after a judge dismissed his lawsuit against The Daily Mail, sources told Rob Shuter’s <a href=”https://robshuter.substack.com/p/exclusive-harrys-60-million-legal” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”><em>Naughty But Nice</em></a><em> </em>Substack. </p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-prince-harry-s-lawsuit-against-the-daily-mail-dismissed”>Prince Harry’s lawsuit against The Daily Mail dismissed</h2>
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<p id=”par-3_97″>On July 7, the the Prince’s privacy case against The Daily Mail was dismissed by a U.K. court. Harry and several other high-profile Britons – including Elton John – were suing the infamous tabloid, arguing that stories published in the paper from the 1990s to 2011 were based on unlawfully obtained information, according to <a href=”https://www.reuters.com/world/uk-court-dismisses-harry-others-lawsuit-against-daily-mail-2026-07-07/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Reuters</a>. Investigators allegedly hacked into phone messages and tricked medical personnel into divulging personal details, the claimants said. The judge in the case said that Harry and the others had not produced enough evidence to prove the information about them was illegally gathered. </p>
<p id=”par-4_29″>Associated Newspapers, which owns The Daily Mail and other media outlets, said that it would seek to recoup its legal costs, which total more than £50 million ($66.8 million).</p>
<p id=”par-5_39″>“This is the verdict that could change everything,” a source said. “Harry has spent years – and millions – trying to take on the British press. Instead of vindication, he may now be left with a staggering legal bill.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-money-is-tight-for-duke-and-duchess-of-sussex”>‘Money is tight’ for Duke and Duchess of Sussex</h2>
<p id=”par-6_13″>Tuesday’s blow comes as <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/prince-harry-issues-list-outrageous-demands-meghan-ahead-uk-return.html/”>Harry and Meghan</a> are reportedly under serious financial strain. </p>
<p id=”par-7_27″>“Money is tight,” a source told <a href=”https://pagesix.com/2026/05/13/royal-family/breadwinner-meghan-markle-may-take-drastic-action-to-pay-her-prince-harrys-huge-bills/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Page Six</a> earlier this year, adding that the couple need at least $6 million per year to cover their various bills. </p>
<p id=”par-8_15″>Contrary to what many believe, the Duke and Duchess do not have “unlimited” financial resources. </p>
<p id=”par-9_23″>“They’ve earned a fortune, but they’ve spent one too. A financial hit of this size changes the conversation overnight,” another insider told Shuter. </p>
<p id=”par-10_38″>Now, there is concern that Harry’s legal loss – which comes after he won a claim against The Daily Mirror and settled a suit with Rupert Murdoch’s News Group Publishers – could change his future for the worse. </p>
<p id=”par-11_45″>“Some people close to the situation fear this is the start of a financial downward spiral,” a palace source said. “No one is saying they’re broke tomorrow, but blockbuster paydays have slowed while the legal bills keep coming. That math eventually catches up with you.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_76″>The setback could force Harry and Meghan to adjust their “lavish” California lifestyle, Shuter claims. It could also put more pressure on Meghan. Sources told Page Six that the former <em>Suits </em>star is “basically the breadwinner” in her marriage, thanks to her projects with Netflix, her As Ever lifestyle brand, and various other ventures. Having not grown up with wealth, she has a much firmer grasp of her and her husband’s precarious financial reality, some say. </p>
<p id=”par-13_43″>“Meghan has a sense of how careful they need to be,” royal expert Dan Wakeford wrote in his Celebrity Intelligence newsletter (via <a href=”https://www.skynews.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity-life/largely-been-spent-major-prince-harry-inheritance-revelation-raises-eyebrows-as-five-insiders-paint-grim-picture-of-the-sussexes-finances/news-story/0df1a270ae2a5001ee3ffefe4cc8718e”>Sky News</a>). “….Harry – raised in a world where everything was provided – reportedly lacks basic awareness of what things cost.”</p>
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