Duchess Meghan wins legal battle against "Mail on Sunday"

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Duchess Meghan: "Everyone loses when misinformation sells better than the truth"

Photo: Ben Stansall / dpa

A court in London found Duchess Meghan right in the fight against the British newspaper group Associated Newspapers over the publication of a letter to her father.

It decided on Thursday in favor of the 39-year-olds to shorten the process considerably.

This not only spares Meghan further public hearings, the court also found her right almost across the board.

The tabloids "Daily Mail", "Mail on Sunday" and the Internet portal "Mail Online" had published excerpts from a letter that Meghan had written to her father in May 2018 before her wedding to Prince Harry.

Meghan has a difficult relationship with the father Thomas Markle, who is divorced from her mother.

Meghan sued Associated Newspapers for violation of her privacy and copyright law, and sought damages.

On both counts, the judge considered the arguments of Meghan's lawyers so convincing that he agreed to forego a trial with testimony.

"The plaintiff had the understandable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private," said the court's decision.

Associated Newspapers is considering appeal

Meghan was relieved by the verdict.

She was grateful that the publisher and newspaper would now be held accountable for their "illegal and inhuman practices," it said in a statement.

"We all lose when misinformation sells better than truth and companies base their business model on profiting from the pain of (other) people," said the Duchess.

A spokesman for Associated Newspapers said it was surprised and disappointed with the verdict and would consider appealing it

Thomas Markle had canceled his participation in Harry and Meghan's wedding at short notice - due to health reasons, as he portrays it.

Since then, the two have fallen out.

He had passed Meghan's handwritten letter to the journalists of the Mail on Sunday himself.

He wanted to rehabilitate his public image, he justified the move.

Previously, friends of Meghan had portrayed him in a bad light in an interview.

"On the whole, the disclosures were extremely excessive"

Meghan said she wanted to clear the table with the letter.

But according to Thomas Markle, there was nothing but criticism in it.

“The letter didn't say she loved me.

It didn't even ask how I was doing.

There was no concern about the fact that I had suffered a heart attack and no questions about my health, ”said a written statement in court.

Thomas Markle is certain that Meghan wanted to terminate the father-daughter relationship with the letter.

But the court has now decided that Thomas Markle's reply by no means had to have longer passages from Meghan's letter published.

"On the whole, the disclosures were extremely excessive and therefore illegal," said a summary of the judgment.

From Meghan and Harry's point of view, Thomas Markle himself has become a victim of the media.

The former actress accuses the journalists of the »Mail« of having started the argument with her father in order to be able to report on it.

Thomas Markle was harassed, exploited, manipulated and humiliated, according to a statement from Meghan's lawyer.

Further hearing planned

According to Megan's lawyers, the bride's father had canceled his participation in the wedding a few days before his heart attack because he was ashamed of a report in the "Mail on Sunday".

The paper had revealed that Markle had posed for posed paparazzi shots that were supposed to show him preparing for the festival.

To the annoyance of the Royals, the Duchess's father has been interviewed again and again since then and unpacked for money, as he now openly admits.

The court has not yet made a final decision on the extent to which Meghan's copyrights were also affected by the publication of the letter.

Although the judge saw a violation of the law as a given, it still has to be clarified whether Meghan was the sole author of the letter.

The letter had been edited by the palace's press department.

There will be another hearing on March 2nd on this question and the amount of damages Meghan is entitled to.

Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry were married in May 2018.

In March 2020, the couple officially retired from the front row of the British royal family.

The family now lives mainly in Meghan's homeland, California.

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bbr / dpa / AFP