The paper claimed that they infringed copyright over the letter to Meghan Markle’s father
Meghan Markle, the Duchess had sued UK tabloid paper The Mail among other associated newspapers in August 2018. Her claims were that they had reproduced extracts from a “personal and private” letter she had given to her father Thomas Markle in 2018. The Duchess won her case in February 2021 after high court judge Lord Justice Warby ruled in her favour providing summary judgement.
How did The Mail respond?
The Mail printed a statement on Sunday that Meghan Markle had won her legal case for copyright infringement at the bottom of the front page. They additionally ran a 64-word news story on page three admitting to their mistake, and that “financial remedies have been agreed.” The story was published on their official online website at 11:58 pm on Christmas Day and also provided links to the court verdicts.
Associated Newspapers had appealed on the grounds that the case should have gone to trial, but it was dismissed earlier this month by the court of appeal judges Sir Geoffrey Vos, Dame Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice Bean. They spoke in favour of the duchess and said that she had a “reasonable expectation” of privacy on the letter and its contents.
Meghan’s statements
Meghan Markle then spoke about being patient in the face of “deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks,” and demanded that the tabloid industry be reshaped. She said that this was a victory for not just her, but anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for the right thing.
She said that she saw this as a case between right and wrong, while the defendant treated it as a game with no rules. Their aim was to drag it out, and twist it according to their needs so that the public could be manipulated.