Prince Harry faces new twist in his legal case

A senior legal official has withdrawn form handling the assessment of legal costs in Prince Harry's successful lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers, citing concerns over a possible conflict of interest.

Senior Costs Judge Jason Rowley announced his decision to step down at the beginning of Thursday's hearing. 

His recusal follows the discovery that he had previously worked for Temple Legal Protection, where he developed a legal costs policy now relevant to around 40% of the expenses in the Duke of Sussex's case, reported GB News.

Explaining his decision, Judge Rowley said: 'Having seen the documents rather more fully.. I have taken the view that I need to rescue myself form this case. It is not a decision I have taken lightly.' 

He disclosed that he was employed at Temple Legal Protection for 10 months before his appointment as a costs judge. During that time, he helped create what he described as a 'bespoke' policy-one that now covers a significant share of the legal costs in Prince Harry's case.

The judge expressed concern that he might possess insider knowledge not available to be involved parties, stating: 'I'am concerned that I may have knowledge of how this is done that is not before the parties.'

It seems to me obvious that the risk is there.' 

Judge Rowley clarified that neither legal team had raised the conflict of interest he identified the issue on his own initiative. 

Prince Harry secured a major court win against MGN in December 2023, receiving £140,600 in damages after the court ruled that 15 articles about him were the result of unlawful information gathering.