LONDON—In what onlookers are calling “the poshest financial crisis since Downton Abbey,” Prince Harry was reportedly “stunned and slightly peckish” after learning he could be responsible for a £50 million legal bill following his failed phone-hacking lawsuit against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Harry, whose recent professional pursuits have included a Netflix documentary, a memoir, and unsuccessfully auditioning to play himself in The Crown, is now allegedly seeking “creative funding solutions” to address the unexpected expense. Sources close to the Duke say he mistakenly believed all legal fees would be covered by Buckingham Palace’s “Annoyed Royal Fund,” a common misconception among the aristocracy.

“I never thought defending my right to privacy would end with me checking my bank app in a Sainsbury’s parking lot,” Prince Harry was overheard telling a confused pigeon. “Is it too late to become an influencer?”

Legal expert Brenda Swindlebottom, who observed the trial while knitting an “I Heart Libel Law” scarf, commented, “It’s rare to see someone lose £50 million and still have fewer regrets than after reading the Daily Mail.”

Representatives for the Mail publisher celebrated the verdict with what sources describe as “a tasteful round of phone hacking jokes and a commemorative voicemail left on their own answering machines.”

Meanwhile, Harry has launched a GoFundMe entitled “Help a Prince Out,” writing: “If every person who watched my wedding donates £1, I’ll almost be able to afford the interest.”