The Duchess of Sussex wins the case in front of the High Mail on Sunday
The Duchess of Sussex won her High Court case against The Mail on Sunday. A judge ruled that the newspaper violated Meghan Markle’s privacy by publishing excerpts from a letter she had sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
Judge Warby issued a “summary judgment” last week that handed the duchess’s victory without the need for a trial in which she was called to testify and her father to testify against her.
The judge ruled: “In short, a personal and private letter” containing “inherent private and personal matters” that Meghan, 39, had “a reasonable expectation” would remain private.
A judge ruled Sunday that Mail had violated Meghan Markle’s privacy by publishing excerpts from a letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
The newspaper claimed that Mr Markle, 76, asked him to publish excerpts from the 2018 letter to set the record.
The newspaper mentioned that Meghan is a senior member of the Royal Family and raised questions about the authorization of the previous publication of the letter.
Markle spoke out because his daughter’s close friends revealed her existence in an anonymous interview with the American magazine People, in which they mistakenly described her as a “loving” letter.
But Mr Markle disagreed, saying he saw the letter not as an “olive branch” but as a warning that “signaled the end of our relationship”.
Judge Warby issued a “summary judgment” last week that handed over the Duchess’s victory without the need for a trial in which she was called to testify.
He told the court in a statement that he was determined to fly to London to testify against his daughter.
But Meghan’s lawyers have argued that a trial is not necessary because the newspaper had “no prospect” of organizing a successful defense.
The judge also ruled that the publication of the extracts was a violation of copyright, although he said that the question of who owns the copyright should be judged.
Mail on Sunday is considering whether to appeal.