Meghan Markle handed win in court battle with U.K. tabloid
Meghan Markle is celebrating another big victory over a U.K. tabloid after a court sided with her in the privacy case.
A judge ruled earlier this year that the Mail on Sunday interfered with the Duchess of Sussex's "reasonable expectation" of privacy when publishing portions of a letter that she wrote to her father in 2018, and on Thursday, a U.K. court dismissed an appeal brought by the tabloid's publisher, Associated Newspapers, CNN reports.
"Those contents were personal, private and not matters of legitimate public interest," the court ruled. "The articles in the Mail on Sunday interfered with the duchess's reasonable expectation of privacy."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meghan sued Associated Newspapers over the publication of parts of the letter, which the publisher argued was not an invasion of her privacy. Amid the court battle, a former communications secretary for the Duchess of Sussex told the court that she said referring to her father as "Daddy" in the letter would "pull at the heartstrings" and that she had the "understanding that it could be leaked," which the Mail on Sunday argued showed the letter was "crafted with readership by the public in mind," per Page Six. Meghan said, however, that she did "not want any of it to be published" but "wanted to ensure that the risk of it being manipulated or misleadingly edited was minimized," The Associated Press reports.
Meghan in a statement Thursday celebrated the court's decision as a "victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right," adding, "While this win is precedent setting, 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 also accused the publisher of trying to make a "straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted" in order to "generate more headlines and sell more newspapers."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Supreme Court to resolve Louisiana gerrymander
Speed Read The court will hear a case challenging the second majority-Black district in the state
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Boeing machinists approve contract, end strike
Speed Read The company's largest union approved the new contract offer, ending a seven-week strike
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
America might be in a second Gilded Age
In the Spotlight The first Gilded Age was marked by rising inequality and a push for social change
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Oppenheimer' sweeps Oscars with 7 wins
speed read The film won best picture, best director (Christopher Nolan) and best actor (Cillian Murphy)
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
'Rust' armorer convicted of manslaughter
speed read The film's cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed by actor Alec Baldwin during rehearsal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The Beatles are getting 4 intersecting biopics
Speed Read Director Sam Mendes is making four separate movies, each told from the perspective of one band member
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published