Prince Harry, Elton John and five other claimants have been ordered to make an initial payment of £9.5 million, about $13 million, to the publisher of Britain’s Daily Mail after losing their high-profile privacy case.

In a ruling issued Friday, Justice Matthew Nicklin ordered the payment to Associated Newspapers Ltd. by August 28. The amount is at the higher end of expectations and represents a significant legal victory for the publisher.

The seven claimants lost their case at London’s High Court last month after accusing Associated Newspapers of unlawful information-gathering practices, including alleged phone hacking.

In his ruling on legal costs, Nicklin strongly criticized aspects of the claimants’ case, describing some allegations as “speculative.” He also cited their failure to voluntarily withdraw serious claims after it became apparent they could no longer be supported by sufficient evidence.

“The conduct was unreasonable to a high degree,” the judge said.

Associated Newspapers says it spent more than £34 million defending the case. If the publisher seeks to recover the remaining costs, Harry and the other claimants could potentially face an additional bill of about £25 million at a later stage.

The claimants reportedly have insurance covering approximately half of the potential total costs.

Although Nicklin acknowledged that the publisher’s legal expenses appeared “excessive,” he declined to impose a cap on the claimants’ liability.

The judge said such a limit would be too broad and could create unfairness or appear arbitrary.

The ruling marks a major setback for Prince Harry and the other claimants in their legal battle against one of Britain’s largest newspaper publishers.