The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has won a victory in her court battle against a major British newspaper that she claimed broke privacy laws.
The dispute stems from February 2019, when the Mail on Sunday published extracts from a letter written by Meghan to her estranged father, 76-year-old Thomas Markle.
The Suits actress sued Associated Newspapers (parent company to MailOnline and the Mail on Sunday) for breach of copyright, infringement of her privacy, and breaches of the Data Protection Act.
Yesterday Judge Mark Warby agreed with Meghan that the newspaper had breached the Duchess’s privacy and had also infringed her copyright.
Judge Warby announced that the Duchess “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the letter would remain private. The Mail articles interfered with that reasonable expectation.”
He added: “the only tenable justification for any such interference was to correct some inaccuracies about the letter.”
Judge ruled tabloid had breached Meghan Markle’s copyright
In a further blow to the Mail, the Judge also stated that the letter’s copyright had been infringed.
The only issue still up for debate is whether Meghan was the sole author of the letter, which was penned back in August 2018. Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to Meghan and Harry, helped the Duchess to edit the letter, which may mean he is a co-author.
The Judge ruled that the outstanding issue concerning the authorship will be decided at a hearing on March 2.
Meghan issued a statement saying she is “grateful to the courts for holding Associated Newspapers and the Mail on Sunday to account.” And she thanked her husband Harry and her mother, Doria Ragland, for their support.
She also took aim at tabloid newspapers, saying, “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.
“The world needs reliable, fact-checked, high-quality news. What The Mail on Sunday and its partner publications do is the opposite. We all lose when misinformation sells more than truth when moral exploitation sells more than decency.”
Meghan Markle: ‘We all deserve truth and justice’
She finished up by stating: “I share this victory with each of you because we all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better.”
A spokesperson for the Mail on Sunday told People that they were “very surprised” and “disappointed” at the judgment. They also said the organization would be considering an appeal.
In other news, it’s emerged that Meghan and Archie will not be accompanying Harry to England this summer, as the Duke heads to his old stomping grounds for various functions.
Harry will be attending grandfather Prince Philip’s 100th birthday celebration along with an unveiling of a statue of his late mother, Princess Diana. Meghan will not be attending due to practical reasons related to COVID-19 travel restrictions instead of any snub of her in-laws.
It was also reported recently that Meghan is “sick to her stomach” about an upcoming tell-all memoir written by her half-sister, Samantha Markle.