Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, receives flowers as she leaves after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. Image: AP/Kirsty Wigglesworth
A British newspaper publisher fought back against the Duchess of Sussex at a court hearing Friday, rejecting allegations that it deliberately stoked a dispute between Meghan and her father and asking for the claim to be struck from her lawsuit against the company.
The preliminary hearing at Britain鈥檚 High Court was the first stage of Meghan鈥檚 legal action against the Daily Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated 黑料社papers, for publishing what she describes as a 鈥減rivate and confidential鈥� letter to her father in August 2018.
Excerpts from the letter she wrote appeared in the newspaper and online six months later. Meghan鈥檚 civil lawsuit accuses Associated 黑料社papers of copyright infringement, misuse of private information and violating the United Kingdom鈥檚 data protection law.
The company denies legal wrong-doing, and its lawyers argued that the specific claims of 鈥渄ishonesty and malicious intent鈥� should not be part of the case.
Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, were expected to listen in to the part of the hearing argued by her lawyers.
The duchess鈥檚 lawyer, David Sherborne, said during Friday鈥檚 hearing that the publisher 鈥渄isclosed to the whole world the detailed contents of a private letter of a daughter to her father.鈥�
Sherborne said Associated 黑料社papers had 鈥渉arassed鈥� Megan鈥檚 father, Thomas Markle, manipulated him into giving interviews and taken other actions for the purpose of 鈥渟tirring up鈥� a dispute between Markle and his famous daughter.
A lawyer representing the publishing company, Anthony White, said in court papers that Meghan鈥檚 lawsuit alleged 鈥渟eriously improper鈥� and deliberate conduct 鈥渢o the effect that the defendant鈥檚 motive was to seek to manufacture or stoke a family dispute for the sake of having a good story or stories to publish.鈥�
White asked the judge to strike the claim ahead of a full trial in the case, arguing that the publisher鈥檚 motivation was 鈥渋rrelevant to the claim for misuse of private information.鈥�
The lawyer also rejected Meghan鈥檚 allegation that the publisher 鈥渁cted dishonestly鈥� when deciding which parts of her letter to publish.
Thomas Markle鈥檚 strained relationship with his daughter complicated Meghan鈥檚 entry into the royal family.
He had been due to walk Meghan down the aisle at her and Harry鈥檚 May 2018 wedding but pulled out at the last minute, citing heart problems. The former television lighting director has given occasional interviews to the media, complaining in December 2018 that he鈥檇 been 鈥済hosted鈥� by his daughter after the wedding.
The letter Meghan wrote him was penned three months after the royal wedding at Windsor Castle.
Analysts have compared the legal case to a lawsuit brought by Harry鈥檚 mother, the late Princess Diana, over photographs showing her exercising on gym equipment. The case was settled before it was heard in court.
Harry has long had a difficult relationship with the press. When he and Meghan announced the legal action over the letter, he accused some newspapers of conducting a 鈥渞uthless campaign鈥� against his wife and compared it to the press treatment of his mother, who died in a Paris car crash being chased by paparazzi in 1997.
Earlier this week, the couple made public a strongly worded letter they had written to several British tabloid newspapers stating they would no longer cooperate with the publications because of what they called 鈥渄istorted, false or invasive鈥� stories.
They wrote in the letter they were unwilling to 鈥渙ffer themselves up as currency for an economy of [clickbait] and distortion.鈥�
Harry and Meghan announced in January they were quitting as senior royals, seeking financial independence and moving to North America. Their plan became official at the end of March.聽RGA
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