Meghan Markle might have to testify in her ongoing lawsuit against British tabloids. Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry are suing the tabloids for publishing a “confidential” letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle. With the lawsuit set to land in court, there is a strong chance that Meghan will have to testify — and it sounds like she is willing to get on the stand.
Inside Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lawsuit
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are suing a British tabloid for
publishing some of her personal letters without permission. Meghan wrote the
letters to her dad and says that she wanted them to be kept confidential.
The couple’s lawsuit, which is against Associated Newspapers, argues that the tabloids committed copyright infringement. They also say that the outlets abused private information and went against laws that protect data in the United Kingdom.
Associated Newspapers denied any wrongdoing. The company also
said that it did not change the content of the letters or misrepresent what
Meghan Markle wrote in any way.
Attorney David Sherborne is representing Meghan and released a
statement on her behalf. According to Fox
News, the statement revealed that Associated Newspapers has asked to
interview Meghan to discuss the claims she made against them.
“The defendant [Associated Newspapers] wants to
cross-examine her [Meghan] as to whether that belief is reasonable or not – and
they can do that,” Sherborne stated.
Will the Duchess of Sussex testify?
With Associated Newspapers wanting to cross-examine Meghan, the
next question is whether or not Meghan is willing to do so. The Duchess of
Sussex has not commented on the situation, but she is reportedly willing to
testify if it comes down to that.
On April 24, a hearing for the case took place in the UK’s High Court. Meghan and Harry joined the session via a video call. The couple is currently living in Los Angeles and is unable to fly due to the coronavirus lockdown.
At the hearing, lawyers on behalf of Associated Newspapers
revealed that Meghan had issued “further assertions of improper,
deliberate conduct,” including accusing them of “harassing,
humiliating, manipulating, and exploiting” her father.
There is no telling if Meghan will actually testify or not. The
royals took part in a similar lawsuit against British tabloids in the 1990s
when photos of Princess Diana exercising at the gym surfaced in the media. The
royals settled that case out of court.
Meghan Markle’s father finds himself in the middle of another
controversy
Meghan’s family woes started when she tied the knot with Harry
back in 2018. At the time, Meghan’s father was supposed to walk her down the
aisle. But he back out at the last minute due to health concerns.
Thomas was also involved in a major scandal. Weeks before her big
day, images were published that showed Thomas preparing for his daughter’s wedding.
But fans later learned that all of the photos were staged, and that Thomas made
money posing for the cameras.
As Prince Harry and Meghan Markle go to war against the British tabloids on several fronts, new text messages show how the couple tried, and failed, to shield Thomas Markle from the media. With bonus insight into Prince Harry’s textmanship: https://t.co/Kv8ZFIJKuo pic.twitter.com/DXUQCkwIwp
— Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) April 20, 2020
–
Over the past few years, Thomas has slammed the royal family on several occasions. As a result, Meghan Markle and Thomas have grown apart, with the latter claiming that the former actress completely “ghosted” him after the ceremony.
We do not know if Thomas will also take the stand. If he does,
this will be the first time Meghan and Thomas confront each other in several
years.
Meghan’s friends might also testify
To make things even more complicated, there is a chance that some
of Meghan’s friends will be called to take the stand as well.
Last year, five of Meghan’s close pals opened up about the “emotional trauma” she suffered as a result of the published letters. Depending on how things go in the trial, it is possible that all five of her friends (who gave the interview anonymously) will speak on her behalf.
For her part, Meghan says that she had no idea her friends were
going to mention the letters in public.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are currently abiding by the rules of the lockdown while in LA, and it has been confirmed that they will offer a rare glimpse of Archie Harrison in honor of his first birthday on May 6.
–
