Declaring it as a win “not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right”, Meghan Markle has won the latest battle in her privacy suit against British tabloid paper, Mail on Sunday.
Rejecting Associated Newspapers’ attempt to have a trial in the privacy and copyright case for the second time, The Court of Appeal ruled in Markle’s favour, suggesting that the tabloid’s publishing of a personal letter sent by the Duchess to her father, Thomas Markle in 2018 compromised Markle’s privacy.
The judgment read: “The Court of Appeal upheld the judge’s decision that the duchess had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of the letter.
“Those contents were personal, private and not matters of legitimate public interest. The articles in the Mail on Sunday interfered with the duchess’ reasonable expectation of privacy and were not a justified or proportionate means of correcting inaccuracies about the letter.”
In a statement issued after the ruling, Markle urged people to be “brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that… profits from the lies and pain that they create”.
“This is a victory not just for me but for anyone else who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right,” she said. “What matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel and profits from the lies and pain that they create.”
She added that the win was “precedent-setting” and an important measure of “right versus wrong”.
Mail on Sunday said it was disappointed and considering a further appeal to the Supreme Court.