(FILE PHOTO) In this Monday, March 9, 2020 file photo, Britain鈥檚 Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex receives flowers as she leaves after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London. A preliminary hearing in the Duchess of Sussex鈥檚 legal case against the Mail on Sunday and its parent company, Associated 黑料社papers, is set to take place in Britain鈥檚 High Court on Friday April 24, 2020 as Meghan challenges the publication of a letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)
LONDON 鈥� Meghan, Britain鈥檚 Duchess of Sussex, is seeking 1.5 million pounds ($2.1 million) in legal costs after she won a privacy claim against the Mail on Sunday which had printed extracts of a letter she wrote to her father.
Last month, a judge at London鈥檚 High Court ruled the tabloid had breached her privacy and infringed her copyright by publishing parts of the five-page letter she wrote to her father Thomas Markle who she fell out with on the eve of her wedding to Queen Elizabeth鈥檚 grandson, Prince Harry.
Judge Mark Warby ruled in her favor without holding a trial, saying the articles were a clear breach of privacy after the paper argued the duchess had intended the letter鈥檚 contents to become public and it formed part of a media strategy.
At a hearing on Tuesday to determine costs and other unresolved issues, documents submitted to the court showed that Meghan鈥檚 lawyers had asked for 1.5 million pounds in legal fees, with half the amount to be paid within 14 days.
Her legal team has also demanded the paper hands over any copies it has of the letter, and called for the judge to order the paper to publish a statement on its front page stating she had won her case, with a notice also placed on the MailOnline鈥檚 home page for 鈥渘ot less than 6 months.鈥�
鈥淭he first reason why the claimant seeks an order for publication and dissemination is to act as a deterrent to future infringers,鈥� her lawyers wrote in their submission.
Her lawyer Ian Mill told the hearing that they were not seeking to punish the paper, and would accept nominal damages based on the profits the Mail made from its articles, saying this was a 鈥減roportionate鈥� way forward.
The Mail is seeking permission to appeal Warby鈥檚 ruling and also argues that other issues such as whether Meghan had sole ownership of copyright to the letter needed to be addressed.
As regards Meghan鈥檚 decision to only seek nominal damages, the paper鈥檚 lawyers wrote: 鈥淣o purpose would be served by a hearing to determine the precise amount, which by definition is not relevant. It is suggested that 1 pound, 2 pounds or 5 pounds would do.鈥�
Meghan, 39, and husband Harry, 39, have rarely been off the front pages of Britain鈥檚 newspapers in the last month, having announced they were expecting their second child, followed by news of their final split with the royal family, following their decision to move to California last year.
On Sunday, a highly-anticipated in-depth interview they gave to U.S. chat show queen Oprah Winfrey will be aired.
($1 = 0.7181 pounds)