Meghan Markle apologizes for misleading court, says she didn't recall exchanges about biography


Meghan Markle has apologized to a British court, saying she didn't intend to be misleading about her cooperation with a biography.
A judge earlier this year sided with the Duchess of Sussex after she sued a British tabloid over the publication of a private letter to her father, and the publisher, Associated Newspapers, has appealed that ruling. In the appeal, Associated Newspapers is making the case that Meghan publicized private information by cooperating with the authors of Finding Freedom, a book about her and Prince Harry, according to The Associated Press. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have said they didn't contribute to this book, but their former press secretary, Jason Knauf, this week said he attended a meeting with the authors and that Meghan provided "briefing points she wanted me to share with" them, The Daily Beast reports. Knauf also said the book was discussed "directly with the duchess multiple times in person and over email."
Meghan in a new witness statement acknowledged Knauf "did provide some information to the authors for the book and that he did so with my knowledge, for a meeting that he planned for with the authors in his capacity as communications secretary," per the AP. She added, though, that the "extent of the information he shared is unknown to me." The Duchess of Sussex also said she didn't previously recall the discussions but apologized "to the court for the fact that I had not remembered these exchanges," adding, "I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or the court."
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Knauf also said this week that Meghan told him she was aware the letter to her father could be leaked and that calling him "Daddy" would "pull at the heartstrings," which lawyers for the publisher argue shows the letter was "crafted with readership by the public in mind." She says she did "not want any of it to be published."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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