Published 12:20 IST, January 15th 2020
Thomas Markle to testify against daughter Meghan in high court
Thomas Markle could be called to give evidence at the high court against his daughter, Meghan Markle, as part of her ongoing legal action against The Mail.
Thomas Markle could be called to give evidence at the high court against his daughter, Duchess Meghan of Sussex, as part of her ongoing legal action against The Mail. According to international media reports, Meghan Markle is suing the newspaper for breach of copyright, invasion of privacy and misuse of personal data after it published excerpts from a letter she sent her father complaining about how he was treating her. However, The Mail had denied all the claims and reportedly argued that the Duchess and other members of the royal family rely on publicity about themselves and their lives to maintain the privileged positions they hold.
The case against The Mail came after Thomas Markle had reportedly provided lawyers with unseen text messages that revealed the breakdown of the relationship between father and daughter. The newspaper company has also argued that Meghan could not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so. They further added that there is a huge and legitimate public interest in the private lives of the royals and they would defend the case.
The Mail has also dismissed the copyright claim by reportedly arguing that the letter was not an original literary work. The further argued that Thomas Markle has the right to publicly defend himself and exercise his right to freedom of speech by making the letter public and giving an interview to defend himself. The newspaper company has further suggested that if the case headed to court it would request copies of any private messages sent by the Duchess of Sussex to her friends in which she authorises them to speak to the media on her behalf.
The Royal family 'crisis'
The latest development in the court case has come in a turbulent week for the Royals. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a recent announcement stated that the will be stepping back as 'senior members' of the Royal family and will work to become 'financially independent'. After their statement, the Queen and other members of the family were said to be 'hurt', however, in another statement Queen Elizabeth II said that she and the royal family are 'entirely supportive' of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision. The statement released by Buckingham Palace further states that the Queen and the family members had 'very constructive discussions', however, 'final decisions' will be reached in coming days.
Updated 12:20 IST, January 15th 2020