The Duchess is suing The Mail on Sunday for alleged invasion of privacy, breach of copyright and misuse of personal data, over the publication of a letter she wrote to her father in 2018.
Meghan claims the letter was edited by the tabloid to portray her “negatively”.
The Mail on Sunday’s parent company Associated Newspapers denies the allegations, particularly the claim that the letter was edited to change its meaning.
Associated Newspapers also argues the contents of the letter were not private or confidential, and that Meghan did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy as a member of the Royal Family.
Earlier this week, text messages from Prince Harry and Meghan to Thomas Markle were filed as court evidence, in which they implored Markle to allow a security team to protect him and Harry begged Markle not to talk to the press.
Legal documents claim the newspaper summarised those messages with “significant omissions” , removing any reference of Meghan or Prince Harry attempting to protect Markle and ensure that he was safe.
Here are some of the things that could occur in the showdown between Meghan and The Mail:
Details of public funding could be revealed
Paperwork filed by Meghan’s legal team says the Duchess is prepared to reveal details of royal public funding in order to dispute The Mail on Sunday’s description of her “immense wealth and privilege”.
Legal documents say Meghan will “refer to the true position as to the nature and extent to which she and her husband were ‘publicly funded’”, and will address the “(supposed) amount of money or privilege she has”, arguing it should not affect her right to privacy.
Thomas Markle may testify
Meghan’s father has said he is prepared to testify, with his evidence set to form part of The Mail on Sunday’s defence.
Legal documents argue Thomas Markle had “a weighty right to tell his version of what had happened between himself and his daughter including the contents of the letter”.
More texts could be released
A legal defence filed by The Mail on Sunday in January hinted at the release of further text messages from Meghan. The defence stated lawyers for Associated Newspapers would seek disclosure from Meghan of her correspondence with close friend Jessica Mulroney about allegedly giving information to the media to influence what was published.
Associated Newspapers seeking to strike aspects Meghan’s initial complaint
According to court documents obtained by the PA news agency, the preliminary hearing on Friday will address an application by Associated Newspapers to strike out parts of Meghan’s case ahead of a full trial.
