A few months after attacking the Daily Mail, which had published a letter she had written to her father, Meghan Markle tried to avoid a trial. The duchess wants to preserve her privacy.
Her goal: no trial. A few months ago, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry launched an unprecedented offensive against the media. The Duchess of Sussex sued the publisher of the Daily Mail for publishing a handwritten letter she had sent to her father.
This was an invasion of privacy that Archie’s mother did not want to let go. But while she has already spent an insane amount of money, Meghan Markle is now trying to avoid a lawsuit against the tabloid at all costs. On Tuesday 19th and Wednesday 20th January her lawyers will try to get a “summary judgment” from the High Court in London.
The aim of Prince Harry’s wife? Not to find herself in court next autumn and thus avoid her private life being brought to light once again. “This is a very simple case about the illegal publication of a private letter,” pleaded her lawyer, Justin Rushbrooke on the first day of court.
And if Meghan Markle does not back down, the Daily Mail has prepared its defence. According to its publisher’s lawyers, the Duchess had discussed the letter at length with communications officials at Buckingham Palace before sending it to her father.
According to them, she was part of a well-oiled “media strategy” and was even destined to be published in the press one day. “It just doesn’t make sense for the applicant to put this kind of letter in the public domain,” said Justin Rushbrooke.
It was about the rather sad difficulties of a family relationship, which is not in the public interest.” A few weeks ago, Meghan Markle suffered a legal setback when the judge allowed Associated Newspapers’ lawyers to rely on Finding Freedom to establish their defence. According to them, the Duchess collaborated on the biography “in particular by giving or allowing them to receive information about the letter”.
Sussex on the offensive
One of the authors of the book claimed that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry had had no role in the writing: “[Meghan and Harry] did not authorise the book and were never interviewed for it (…) The book was always prepared with the knowledge that it had to be independent and unauthorised”.
The trial, if not cancelled, has been postponed and is scheduled for next fall. Like Meghan Markle, the Duke of Sussex has also started legal proceedings against several media outlets. These include the Daily Mirror, which he accuses of alleged phone hacking, and Associated Newspapers, which published an article in the Daily Mail claiming that it no longer has contact with the Royal Marines.
Emancipated from the British Crown and based in Los Angeles, Archie’s parents don’t want to let anything go. Especially to the press. But without their private life being exposed again for weeks on end.
Photos credits: Bestimage
