On Thursday, Meghan Markle won her last victory in court following the publication of a letter she wrote to her ex-father, hailing it as a victory “for anyone who has ever been afraid to stand up for what is right”.
The London Court of Appeal upheld a February High Court ruling that the Mail on Sunday’s publication of the letter invaded Markle’s privacy and was “illegal”.
The Duchess of Sussex celebrated her ‘unprecedented’ victory, saying it had always been ‘an important measure of good versus evil’.
“It is a victory not only for me, but for anyone who has ever been afraid to stand up for what is right,” the Duchess said in a statement to Page Six.
She said Associated Newspapers – which also publishes the Daily Mail and MailOnline – had covered it as if it was “a game without rules”.
The last straw was the publication of her letter to her father, Thomas Markle, about his no-show at his 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry.
Mail editors had argued that the Duchess wrote the letter knowing it would be leaked, with her former spokesperson saying she hoped it would touch the hearts of the public.
But the three judges of the Court of Appeal agreed Thursday with the trial judge that the contents of the letter were “personal, private and not of legitimate public interest”.
That means the news group still has to pay hundreds of thousands in legal fees and print a front page apology, both of which are awaiting Thursday’s decision.
Markle insisted she had been “patient in the face of deception, intimidation and calculated attacks” during the three-year legal process.
“The courts have held the accused to account, and I hope we all start to do the same,” she said, adding that it was not just about her personal life.
“Tomorrow it could be you.” These harmful practices don’t happen once in a blue moon – they are a daily failure that divides us, and we all deserve better, â€she said.
Associated Newspapers did not immediately comment on the latest loss.
Despite her final victory, the legal battle sparked a series of embarrassments for the Duchess, who was forced to apologize for misleading the court.
Her former PR chief had insisted she knew the letter would be leaked and hoped she would gain public sympathy.
He also revealed that Meghan and Harry helped the authors of the sympathetic biography, “Finding Freedom” – which the couple have repeatedly denied.
In response, Meghan apologized for misleading the court about the extent of her cooperation with the authors of the book.
“I had absolutely no desire or intention to mislead the accused or the court,” she said.
