News feed
Duchess of Sussex and British tabloid staple Meghan Markle has hired the same lawyer her late mother-in-law Princess Diana did as part of Markle’s ongoing lawsuit with a British tabloid.
According to 5RB law firm’s official website, 38-year-old Markle has hired David Sherborne to represent her in a lawsuit against the publisher of the Mail On Sunday. Excerpts from a private letter Markle sent to her father in 2018 were obtained by the Mail and printed, an act which the Duchess’ lawyers describe as a breach of privacy and copyright in the United Kingdom.
Markle says the title had “dishonestly” cut out some words and sentences from the letter in order to paint a misleading picture of the relationship between herself and her father. She claims the tabloid had “intentionally distorted or manipulated” part of the letter.
The case will be heard via video link. Sherborne has also represented Elton John, David and Victoria Beckham and Harry Styles.
Earlier this month, Markle and Prince Harry released a statement saying they would no longer engage with The Sun, Mirror, Daily Mail, and Express due to their unfavourable reporting style. “This policy is not about avoiding criticism. It’s not about shutting down public conversation or censoring accurate reporting,” said the couple in their letter. “Media have every right to report on and indeed have an opinion on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, good or bad. But it can’t be based on a lie.”
In October 2019, Prince Harry spoke out against the British tabloid press for vilifying his wife in the same way they did his mother. “I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person,” he said at the time. “I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.
“I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long. To stand back and do nothing would be contrary to everything we believe in,” he continued. “This particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media. The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question. In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year.”
Markle will reportedly donate damages from the lawsuit to an anti-bullying organisation should she win the case.
