Meghan Markle has won her privacy and copyright claims against the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle.
- Meghan Markle has won her privacy and copyright claims over the publication of a private letter sent to her father Thomas Markle.
- The Duchess of Sussex sued Associated Newspapers Ltd after extracts from the letter were published in the Mail on Sunday in 2019.
- This royal news (opens in new tab) comes after Prince Harry and Meghan made their first appearance of the year together for a special event (opens in new tab).
The Duchess of Sussex shared a statement today thanking Prince Harry and her mother Doria (opens in new tab) Ragland for their support throughout the trial, having won her privacy and copyright claims against the Mail on Sunday.
Meghan sued Associated Newspapers Ltd for breach of copyright, infringement of her privacy, and breaches of the Data Protection Act after a handwritten letter she penned to her father in 2018 was published in articles.
"The claimant had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private. The Mail articles interfered with that reasonable expectation," a London High Court judge said today, granting a "summary judgment", which would see the privacy and copyright infringement parts of the case resolved without a trial.
"It was, in short, a personal and private letter. The majority of what was published was about the claimant’s own behaviour, her feelings of anguish about her father’s behaviour – as she saw it – and the resulting rift between them. These are inherently private and personal matters," Mr Justice Warby added.
Meghan released a statement following the ruling, saying, "After two long years of pursuing litigation, I am grateful to the courts for holding Associated Newspapers and The Mail on Sunday to account for their illegal and dehumanizing practices.
"These tactics (and those of their sister publications MailOnline and the Daily Mail) are not new; in fact, they've been going on for far too long without consequence. For these outlets, it's a game. For me and so many others, it's real life, real relationships, and very real sadness. The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep.
"We all lose when misinformation sells more than truth, when moral exploitation sells more than decency, and when companies create their business model to profit from people’s pain," Meghan added.
"I share this victory with each of you - because we all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better.
"I particularly want to thank my husband, mom, and legal team, and especially Jenny Afia for her unrelenting support throughout this process."