Meghan Markle wins privacy suit over controversial 2018 letter to estranged father

In a major victory against a UK based media outlet, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, informed that a UK court has upheld a ruling in favour of her, reported AP. According to the lawsuit filed by the former actress, the media outlet had illegally leaked a portion of the letter that she wrote to her estranged father in 2018. As per today's judgement pronounced by a UK Court, the decision pronounced by the High Court in February was "precise" and noted the publication of the letter that she wrote to her father Thomas Markle was "manifestly excessive and hence unlawful." Notably, she wrote the letter after she married Prince Harry in 2018. 

Read the statement of Markle here:

Earlier last month, the publisher of the Mailand Mail Online website challenged that decision at the Court of Appeal, leading to the hearing on Thursday. Meghan, in a after the court hearing, said the decision was a triumph not just for her, but for anyone who has ever felt afraid to stand up for what’s right. "While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create," read the statement from Meghan.

"From day one, I have treated this lawsuit as an important measure of right versus wrong. The defendant has treated it as a game with no rules. The longer they dragged it out, the more they could twist facts and manipulate the public (even during the appeal itself), making a straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted in order to generate more headlines and sell more newspapers-a model that rewards chaos above truth, added the statement," added the statement.

Judge termed the letter “sensational"

Further, she said she had been patient in the face of deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks made by the media outlets. On the other hand, Associated Newspapers countered the claims of the former actress and said she didn’t intend the letter to be seen by anyone but her father. According to the publication, the duchess suspected her father might leak the letter to journalists and wrote it with that in mind.  However, the judge described the publication of the letter as “sensational" and was “splashed as a new public revelation".

"Today, the courts ruled in my favour-again-cementing that The Mail on Sunday, owned by Lord Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law. The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it's not. Tomorrow it could be you," Duchess of Sussex said in a statement. These harmful practices don't happen once in a blue moon-they are a daily fail that divides us, and we all deserve better, added the statement.

Who is Meghan Markle?

The Duchess of Sussex, born Rachel Meghan Markle, has immense popularity as an American member of the British royal family and a former actress. She married Prince Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, at St George's Chapel, Windsor in May 2018.  In 2020, the couple had announced that they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America. Before moving to a new location, they said they decided to "move on" due to the "unbearable intrusions" and "racist attitudes" of the British media. They have settled in Santa Barbara, California, with their two young children.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP)