THE Duchess of Sussex sent a five-page handwritten letter to her “daddy” following her royal wedding to Prince Harry, saying her father had broken her heart into “a million pieces”.
The letter has now become the subject of a landmark lawsuit as Meghan Markle pursues legal action against the Mail on Sunday, claiming they unlawfully published the privately penned piece.
Why are Meghan and Harry suing the Mail on Sunday?
The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle is suing British newspaper Mail on Sunday for damages after it published a leaked letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle, after her May 2018 wedding.
The Duchess claims it was a misuse of her private information and breach of copyright.
In a statement, the Duke of Sussex said he and Meghan were forced to take action against "relentless propaganda".
Prince Harry said: "I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."
She has pledged to give any damages from the case to charity.
As a part of the legal disclosures process to follow, Meghan could now be forced to hand over private text messages, emails and phone records.
It is likely the Duchess will also be called as a witness if the case is not settled out of court.
Thomas Markle is also preparing to take the stand and testify against his daughter in the bombshell case.
It would be the first time Thomas and Meghan would come face-to-face since 2015.
The five-page handwritten letter was posted to Thomas by Meghan’s Los Angeles-based business manager.
The Mail on Sunday filed its defence at the high court on Tuesday, arguing that the duchess and other royals “rely on publicity about themselves and their lives to maintain the privileged positions they hold” and that she could not “have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so”.
They said there is a “huge and legitimate public interest” in the private lives of the royals and would defend the case, which comes as the royal family struggles with the Duke and Duchess’ decision to “step back” from their roles as senior members.
What did Meghan Markle's letter to her father Thomas say?
Meghan asked her dad Thomas Markle, 74, to stop his “painful attacks” on her new husband, Prince Harry.
The Duchess of Sussex wrote: "It is with a heavy heart that I write this, not understanding why you have chosen to take this path, turning a blind eye to the pain you’re causing.”
In the letter published by Mail on Sunday, the Duchess went on to tell her “daddy” he broke her heart into "a million pieces".
She wrote that Thomas caused her “unwarranted pain” while also claiming that he never called her to say he wasn’t coming to her wedding.
Why was Meghan's letter made public?
Thomas Markle, a retired Hollywood lighting director, revealed he decided to release parts of the letter after five “friends” of Meghan spoke anonymously about her relationship with him to US People magazine.
The Mail on Sunday, however, claim that the intimate details of Meghan’s broken relationship with Thomas, revealed by the five “friends,” could only have come from the Duchess herself, not least because it presented events entirely from her perspective.
They also accuse Meghan of scheming to use friends to pressure UK journalists into dropping stories about her.
What has Thomas Markle said about the letter?
Thomas Markle has said he only decided to release the letter after being hurt by how it was characterised and claim that Meghan expected it to be made public.
He told the Mail on Sunday, "I have to defend myself. I only released parts of the letter because other parts were so painful. The letter didn’t seem loving to me. I found it hurtful."
He added: “When I opened the letter I was hoping it was the olive branch I’d longed for.”
“I was expecting something that would be a pathway to reconciliation. Instead it was deeply hurtful, I was so devastated I couldn’t show it to anyone – and I never would have, had it not been for the People magazine piece which meant I had to release portions to defend myself.”
Thomas also disputed suggestions he had made no attempts to contact Meghan after the royal wedding, reportedly providing unanswered texts and receipt of an unanswered call to a number he had previously used to reach Harry and Meghan.
Source: Read Full Article