Prince Harry and other high-profile claimants face paying millions of pounds towards the legal costs ‌of Associated Newspapers after they lost their privacy lawsuits against the Daily Mail publisher, London's High Court heard on Wednesday.

The court heard that Associated had incurred a legal bill of £34.5 ​million ($45.8 million), while Harry and other claimants only have an insurance policy which covers £16 million. Associated said it was seeking an interim payment of £10 million.

ITV's royal correspondent Chris Ship addressed the case as Harry could face a huge loss. In a bombshell six-word statement, he asked: "One wonders how they'll cover that?"

In a lengthy social media post, he wrote: "Prince Harry and the other claimants who lost their court case against the Daily Mail publisher have been told the costs incurred by Associated Newspapers for defending the case amount to a staggering £34.5 million [shock face emoji].

"One wonders how Harry, Elton John, Sadie Frost, Liz Hurley etc are going to cover that?"

All the claimants lost their case earlier this month, with the High Court judge finding that none of their evidence was sufficient.

The hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, which began on Wednesday, could last for up to two days.

Prince Harry and the other six claimants, which included Sir Elton John, Liz Hurley and Baroness Doreen Lawrence, did not attend the court hearing in person. Mr Justice Nicklin is expected to return his judgment at a later stage.