logo
Prince Harry to owe more than $1.3 million to British taxpayers over failed legal battle

Prince Harry to owe more than $1.3 million to British taxpayers over failed legal battle

Daily Telegraph05-06-2025
Skynews.com.au Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan claims British taxpayers are set to be owed over $1.3 million in costs related to Prince Harry's failed legal battle with the British Home Office.
'When Harry and Meghan left royal duties, they were no longer entitled to taxpayer-funded Met police officers,' Mr Sullivan told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.
'This has really been an ongoing court battle for over four years.
'He's lost multiple times on appeals.
'He will be expected to likely reimburse the home office and therefore the taxpayer this money.
'If he does repay the $1.3 million on top of his own legal fees, it's estimated that he spent in the ballpark of about $5 million just on this legal battle.
'It's not a good look.
'It's the legal system … that really have better things to do with their time than hear Harry's grievance in his $20 million mansion, I think they're sick of it.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Families sent wrong bodies after Air India disaster
Families sent wrong bodies after Air India disaster

News.com.au

time5 hours ago

  • News.com.au

Families sent wrong bodies after Air India disaster

Families of UK residents killed in last month's Air India disaster have been sent the wrong bodies in repatriation blunders. The Daily Mail reports that at least two cases of mistaken identity had come to light, with one family having to abandon a funeral after being informed their coffin contained an unknown body. In another case, a coffin contained 'co-mingled' remains of more than one person killed in the flight 171 crash at Ahmedabad in western India on June 12. The scandal has sparked top-level inquiries in both the UK and India, the Mail reports, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to raise concerns with counterpart Narendra Modi this week. There were 52 British citizens killed among the 261 people who died after the plane lost power and crashed into a residential area soon after it lifted off to fly to London. All but one of the 242 people on board died as well as 19 people on the ground. Aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt has been engaged to represent UK-based people impacted by the tragedy, with the remains of 12 people repatriated so far. 'I've been sitting down in the homes of these lovely British families over the last month, and the first thing they want is their loved ones back,' he told the Mail. 'But some of them have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. 'It has been going on for a couple of weeks (and) I think these families deserve an explanation.' Mr Healy-Pratt said the family which had received the wrong body had been left 'in limbo' since the devastating discovery was made. '(They) have no one to bury because it was the wrong person in their casket. 'And if isn't their relative, the question is, who is it in that coffin? Presumably it's another passenger and their relatives have been given the wrong remains. 'The coroner also has a problem because she has an unidentified person in her jurisdiction.' Investigations continue into how the disaster unfolded, with mounting attention on the actions of lead pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal. Some experts who have reviewed the initial report from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) believe a pilot on turned off two switches controlling fuel flow to the plane's engines. The first was moved three seconds after lift off and the other one second later, the AAIB report found, before being turned back on a further 10 seconds later. Fingers have been pointed at Captain Sabharwal because his younger co-pilot, Clive Kunder, would have had his 'hands full' while flying the plane. Air India's inspection of the locking feature on the fuel control switches of its existing Boeing 787 aircraft found no issues, an internal communication circulated within the airline said on July 17. India's aviation regulator ordered the country's airlines this week to investigate the locking feature on the switches of several Boeing models. The order came after Boeing notified operators that the fuel switch locks on its jets were safe. However, it was in line with a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018, which recommended inspection of the locks to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. Air India's probe found no problems with the locking mechanism. 'Over the weekend, our Engineering team initiated precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all our Boeing 787 aircraft,' the airline's flight operations department said in a communication to its pilots. 'The inspections have been completed and no issues were found.' A spokesperson for the UK government told the Mail formal identification of the bodies was a 'matter for the Indian authorities'. 'We understand that this is an extremely distressing time for the families, and our thoughts remain with them,' they said. – with AFP.

Royal cousin's ‘traumatic' cause of death revealed
Royal cousin's ‘traumatic' cause of death revealed

News.com.au

time7 hours ago

  • News.com.au

Royal cousin's ‘traumatic' cause of death revealed

The 'traumatic' cause of Prince William and Prince Harry's cousin's death has been revealed. 20-year-old Rosie Roche died of a 'traumatic head injury', the Wiltshire and Swindon coronor confirmed, as per Page Six. No further details were given. As reported yesterday, an inquest heard that Roche, granddaughter of Princess Diana's uncle, died at her family home in the small English village of Norton on July 14. The Sun reported that Roche's body was discovered by her mother and sister, and that she had been packing for a trip away with friends. Area coroner Grant Davies said police 'have deemed the death as non-suspicious and there was no third-party involvement,' according to The Sun. Roche was a university student who had been studying English Literature at Durham University at the time of her death. Princes Harry and William are yet to publicly comment on their cousin's death. The Yorkshire Post published her obituary on July 19, noting that Roche will have a private family funeral and a memorial service will be held at a later date. In the obituary, she was described as 'darling daughter of Hugh and Pippa, incredible sister to Archie and Agatha [and] granddaughter to Derek and Rae Long.' Roche's death comes after another sudden passing rocked the royal family last year. Thomas Kingston, the husband of royal cousin Lady Gabriella Windsor and former boyfriend of Pippa Middleton, was found dead in February of last year aged 45. An inquest later deemed his death 'not suspicious.' Kingston had been visiting his parents at their home in the Cotswolds when his father found him dead. 'It is with the deepest sorrow that we announce the death of Thomas Kingston, our beloved husband, son and brother,' a statement issued on behalf of Lady Gabriella and his family said shortly after his death. 'Tom was an exceptional man who lit up the lives of all who knew him. His death has come as a great shock to the whole family and we ask you to respect our privacy as we mourn his passing.'

Scott Morrison to argue case for AUKUS before US Congress committee on China threats
Scott Morrison to argue case for AUKUS before US Congress committee on China threats

ABC News

time10 hours ago

  • ABC News

Scott Morrison to argue case for AUKUS before US Congress committee on China threats

Former prime minister Scott Morrison is set to appear before a committee of the US Congress as its leaders lobby the White House to support the under-review AUKUS pact. The select committee, which is examining threats posed by China, has written to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to push him to back the trilateral pact as the Pentagon considers its future. The pact with the US and the UK, under which Australia would procure nuclear-powered submarines, is being reviewed to ensure it meets "common sense, America First criteria", according to the White House. The Pentagon official leading the review, Elbridge Colby, has in the past expressed scepticism about AUKUS amid concerns about America's consistent failures to meet its own shipbuilding targets. In their letter, the select committee's Republican chairman, John Moolenaar, and its most senior Democrat, Raja Krishnamoorthi, wrote that China's "rapid expansion of its nuclear, conventional, cyber, and space capabilities pose a grave concern for the United States and our like-minded allies and partners". "AUKUS has received strong bipartisan support from Congress for a reason," they wrote. "We are stronger together under the AUKUS framework." They pointed to the Chinese navy's deployment of aircraft carriers into the western Pacific in June, and its live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea in February as troubling examples of Beijing "project[ing] blue-water capabilities at increasing distances from its shores". "This attempt to project power as far south as New Zealand's front door highlights the importance of AUKUS in cementing ties to longstanding allies like Australia, as well as advancing vital undersea capabilities that will be central to deterrence," they wrote. Mr Morrison, who announced the AUKUS pact with then-leaders Joe Biden and Boris Johnson in 2021, has previously spoken directly to Donald Trump about AUKUS. In June, he told the ABC he had "never had concerns" about the US president's commitment to the pact. "I mean, there's a review underway, and I think he'll take notice of what Bridge Colby says, and I think we need to engage with that and make the case again," he told the ABC last month. The Australian government has also expressed confidence in the pact's future, framing the review as a standard process for an incoming government and rejecting suggestions a "plan B" is needed. But American concerns about Australia's defence budget remain a possible sticking point. Mr Hegseth has urged Australia to lift defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP, from its current level of about 2 per cent. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pushed back, saying Australia will determine its own defence priorities. The opposition has been pressuring Mr Albanese to prioritise a meeting with Mr Trump to press the case for AUKUS. Plans for a meeting in May fell through. Multiple congressional committee chairs have also recently written to Mr Hegseth in support of AUKUS, pointing to its benefits for the US, including a $4.5 billion Australian investment in America's submarine-building capabilities. The Australian government made an initial payment of almost $800 million earlier this year. In total, the submarine deal is expected to cost Australia up to $368 billion over several decades. Mr Morrison is one of two witnesses set to appear at Wednesday's committee hearing, which is focused on strategies to counter China's "economic coercion against democracies". The other is former US ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store