The latest legal documents reveal a lot
It's been quite the year for the royal family. First, Charles got coronavirus, then Princess Beatrice had to cancel her wedding because of the pandemic. And now, newly released legal papers detail what happened with the leak of that letter to Meghan's father.
Don't know what we're talking about? We're referring to the lengthy letter Meghan sent after her wedding in 2018. In it, she asks her father to resolve their feud privately. Shortly after, it was leaked to the press and there's been drama ever since.
Today, new documents reveal how Meghan suffered 'tremendous' stress when said letters were leaked . They further explain that the royal family left her feeling 'unprotected'.
It's the latest from the Duchess of Sussex in her legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online.
The former Suits actress, who is now a mother to Archie, one, has long been estranged from her father, 75.
The Duchess' lawyers state that Meghan “became the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the defendant [ANL] which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health”.
They further shared that “her friends had never seen her in this state before" and were "concerned for her welfare". She was "pregnant, unprotected by the institution, and prohibited from defending herself.”
Meghan is suing the newspaper group on three counts; for misuse of private information, breach of data protection and copyright infringement.
Why Meghan's dad decided to share the private and personal letters is still unclear. ANL claims it was in self-defence of an interview with People US.
In it, five of Meghan's friends share that her letter was a compassionate plea for her Dad to resolve their differences privately.
Angry at this 'one-sided' and 'false' account of what truly happened, Thomas sold the letter to the Daily Mail.
But Meghan’s lawyers say that she had no idea prior to the People interview that it was happening.
Her lawyers also share that Kensington Palace “mandated that all friends and family of [Meghan] should say ‘no comment’ when approached by any media outlet, despite misinformation being provided to the UK tabloids about her."
They go on to explain that this 'silence' left those making claims against the Duchess free to talk. But, on the other hand, those wishing to stick up for her had their hands tied.
“The claimant believes that is probably because of this reason, as well as concerns about the press intrusion by the UK tabloids, that a few friends chose to participate and they did so anonymously”.
What do you think? Was it right for the paper to publish her personal letters or do you think they should have remained unpublished?
The court is still yet to make any final rulings, but we'll be sure to keep you updated when they do.
