Court Documents Claim Meghan Markle Knew Her Letter Would Be Published
What's going on between Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and the royal family isn't the only thing involving the Sussexes that's making headlines. According to E! News, there's been a development in the lawsuit that Harry took against U.K. newspaper publishers. New court documents claim that Markle "anticipated" the letter being released to the public and that her privacy doesn't necessarily mean stopping other people from talking about her — her father, Thomas Markle, included.
"The Claimant's privacy rights do not extend to silencing her father," Mail on Sunday's legal team said in the documents.
Back in February, Thomas shared a letter that he received from Meghan after he was didn't attend her wedding. Mail on Sunday published excerpts of the letter, which he didn't see as invasive, since the letter had been mentioned in People magazine. Mail on Sunday claims that Meghan's letter was so perfect and precise that it was clear, to them at least, that she knew it would make the rounds.
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"The Letter appears to have been immaculately copied out by the Claimant in her own elaborate handwriting from a previous draft. There are no crossings-out or amendments as there usually are with a spontaneous draft," Mail on Sunday submitted to the court. "It is to be inferred also from the care the Claimant took over the presentation of the letter that she anticipated it being disclosed to and read by third parties."
Finally, Mail on Sunday goes as far as claiming that Markle wanted her correspondence to spread beyond its intended audience: "It [the Letter] rehearses the Claimant's version of the history of her relationship with her father and her family in a way that strongly suggests the Claimant wanted or expected third parties to read it."
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The center of Mail on Sunday's case depends on the fact that the letter is Thomas's property, so he can do whatever he wants to it, including sending it to a newspaper. The newspaper adds that Meghan has no right to contest the letter's publication, since she's a member of the royal family and they "rely on publicity about themselves and their lives in order to maintain the privileged positions they hold and promote themselves."
Harry and Meghan haven't responded to the latest development, though they previously said that they are fighting for "accountability and fair treatment."
"The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously," a spokesperson for The Mail on Sunday told E! News. "Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess' letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning."