Meghan Markle latest news LIVE – Duchess wins privacy battle against Daily Mail & thanks Prince Harry for support
Meghan Markle today revealed she suffered "damage and real sadness" after she won a High Court privacy battle over a letter she sent her dad.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, sued the Mail on Sunday publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd after they published the "heartfelt" handwritten letter to Thomas Markle.
A top judge at the High Court in London has now granted her a "summary judgment", which would see the case resolved without a trial.
In a statement released after the ruling, Meghan thanked her husband Prince Harry and mum Doria Ragland for their support.
She said: "I particularly want to thank my husband, mom and legal team, and especially (her solicitor) Jenny Afia for her unrelenting support throughout this process."
Follow our Harry and Meghan live blog below for the very latest news and gossip about the royal couple…
- Alex Winter
MAIL CONSIDERS APPEAL AFTER JUDGEMENT
Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline, released a statement after the judgement.
A spokesperson said: "We are very surprised by today's summary judgment and disappointed at being denied the chance to have all the evidence heard and tested in open court at a full trial.
"We are carefully considering the judgment's contents and will decide in due course whether to lodge an appeal."
- Alex Winter
MEGHAN WINS PRIVACY CASE AGAINST MAIL ON SUNDAY
Meghan Markle has won her privacy case against the Mail on Sunday, after a judge gave judgement summary in favour of the royal, over extracts of letter by her estranged father.
Judge Lord Justice Warby ruled in her favour at the high court on Thursday, the Guardian reported.
Markle was suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection, over five articles published in February 2019 relating to a letter she sent to her father Thomas.
Her lawyer had argued that the newspaper's publishers, Associated Newspapers Ltd, had "no prospect" of defending her claims for misuse of private information and an alleged breach of copyright.
- Rebecca Flood
ROYAL EXPERT CLAIMS 'PRINCE HARRY CARES ABOUT THE LINE OF SUCCESSION BECAUSE OF MEGHAN'
Royal expert, Ingrid Seward, claims Prince Harry cares about the line of succession – because of Meghan.
She said: "The only modern Prince who really cares where he is in the list, is probably Harry. It is not because he minds for himself.
"But his wife Meghan could not understand why, when she had married the future King’s second son, they were so much less important than William and Kate and their tribe of children."
- Rebecca Flood
PSYCHICS PREDICT WHAT THE NEXT 12 MONTHS HOLDS FOR MEGHAN AND HARRY
The team at Psychic World have set out what the next 12 months will look like for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
They said: “The two of them will also focus more on mental health awareness and Meghan may very well take up a post of being a regular columnist to a high profile syndication.”
That’s not the only thing Meghan could be writing, with the mum-of-one also eyeing up childrens’ books, the team theorised.
They said: “Meghan may bring out a range of children's books that will be empowering in their format.”
Meanwhile Prince Harry will take a different approach, as it’s predicted: “Harry will focus his attention back onto Africa which captured his heart many years ago.”
- Rebecca Flood
READ MR JUSTICE WARBY'S RULING ON MEGHAN MARKLE'S CASE
Mr Justice Warby said in his ruling today: "The claimant had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the Letter would remain private.
"The Mail articles interfered with that reasonable expectation."
He said "the only tenable justification for any such interference was to correct some inaccuracies about the letter" contained in an article in People magazine which featured an interview with five friends of Meghan.
But Mr Justice Warby added: "The inescapable conclusion is that, save to the very limited extent I have identified, the disclosures made were not a necessary or proportionate means of serving that purpose.
"For the most part they did not serve that purpose at all. Taken as a whole the disclosures were manifestly excessive and hence unlawful."
- Rebecca Flood
MEGHAN AND HARRY MAKE SURPRISE APPEARANCE IN POETRY CLASS
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a surprise guest appearance on a Zoom poetry class to honour Black History Month.
The Duke and Duchess dropped in on an online gathering of Get Lit – Words Ignite – a California-based arts education non-profit organisation aimed at improving teen literacy through poetry.
Meghan and Harry are currently living in their $14million Californian mansion and famously stepped back from their royal duties last year.
The organisation said on social media that the Sussexes' appearance made it the "best weekend EVER!".
They added that Harry and Meghan were "magic and kind and interested in poetry!"
- Rebecca Flood
PSYCHICS REVEAL WHAT 2021 HAS IN STORE FOR HARRY AND MEGHAN
The team at Psychic World have set out what the next 12 months will look like, and the experts predict: The two of them are going to be powerful influencers of the youth and will distance themselves more and more from the Royal family.
“They will focus more on their needs as individuals as opposed to belonging to the House of Windsor.”
A return to the UK is also ruled out, as they say: “They will become popular socialites in the USA and will spearhead many successful fundraising campaigns.”
- Rebecca Flood
MEGHAN 'WON'T COME FOR THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY AS SHE WON'T WANT TO LEAVE ARCHIE'
Meghan Markle won’t return to the UK this summer for Her Majesty’s birthday because she doesn’t want to leave Archie who loves Zoom calls with the Queen, according to the author of her biography.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, does not plan to join Prince Harry, 36, when he visits the Royal Family for the first time since Megxit, royal insiders claim.
Omid Scoobie OK! Magazine: “Meghan wouldn’t want to be away from Archie and it would be very tricky to factor a small child into their travels with all the restrictions that could potentially be in place.
"But it is not Meghan’s intention to snub the family. If Covid wasn’t a factor, she would be there.
“Archie loves being on Zoom calls with the family and the Queen has been enjoying those throughout lockdown.”
- Rebecca Flood
WHERE DOES PRINCESS EUGENIE'S BABY SIT IN THE LINE OF SUCCESSION?
In other royal news, Princess Eugenie gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday.
The Queen's granddaughter Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank welcomed their son, who weighed 8lbs 1oz, on Tuesday February 9 at 8.55am.
The new royal baby – Eugenie and Mr Brooksbank's first child – is the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's ninth great-grandchild.
Princess Eugenie’s baby boy is 11th in line to the throne.
He will comes after Eugenie and before the Earl of Wessex in the line of succession.
- Rebecca Flood
HERE ARE FOUR SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MEGHAN AND PRINCESS EUGENIE'S BIRTH
Princess Eugenie's birth on Tuesday shared several similarities to that of her cousin, Prince Harry’s son Archie back in May 2019.
The tots were born in the same hospital, and their mums declined to pose with them on the hospital steps.
Both Meghan and Eugenie shared a social media post about their new sons, and both shared black-and-white photos.
Read more here.
- Rebecca Flood
READ MEGHAN'S STATEMENT IN FULL AFTER COURT RULING
She said: "For me and so many others, it's real life, real relationships and very real sadness.
"The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep.
"But, for today, with this comprehensive win on both privacy and copyright, we have all won.
"I share this victory with each of you – because we all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better.
"I particularly want to thank my husband, mom and legal team, and especially (her solicitor) Jenny Afia for her unrelenting support throughout this process."
- Rebecca Flood
MEGHAN MARKLE SAYS SHE'S SUFFERED 'DAMAGE AND REAL SADNESS' IN LEGAL BATTLE
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, sued the Mail on Sunday publisher Associated Newspapers Ltd after they published the "heartfelt" handwritten letter to Thomas Markle.
A top judge at the High Court in London has now granted her a "summary judgment", which would see the privacy parts of the case resolved without a trial.
In a statement released after the ruling, Meghan thanked her husband Prince Harry and mum Doria Ragland for their support.
She said: "For me and so many others, it's real life, real relationships and very real sadness.
"The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep."
- Rebecca Flood
PSYCHICS REVEAL WHAT 2021 HAS IN STORE FOR HARRY AND MEGHAN
The team at Psychic World have set out what the next 12 months will look like, and the experts predict the couple will go from “strength to strength”, and have “big plans for the future”.
“Meghan will spearhead a very high profile campaign for Woman's Rights especially focusing on domestic violence and abuse.
“Meghan herself will be taken seriously as a feminist powerhouse by the Media and the two of them will feel inspired and motivated to reach greater heights to assist those in need,” they revealed.
- Alice Peacock
MEGHAN WINS PRIVACY CASE AGAINST MAIL ON SUNDAY
Meghan Markle has won her privacy case against the Mail on Sunday, after a judge gave judgement summary in favour of the royal ,over extracts of letter by her estranged father.
Judge Lord Justice Warby ruled in her favour at the high court on Thursday, the Guardian reported.
Markle was suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection, over five articles published in February 2019 relating to a letter she sent to her father Thomas.
Her lawyer had argued that the newspaper's publishers, Associated Newspapers Ltd, had "no prospect" of defending her claims for misuse of private information and an alleged breach of copyright.
- Alice Peacock
HARRY'S SUCCESSION SPOT 'TOUGH PILL FOR HARRY TO SWALLOW'
Prince Harry's spot in the line of succession is reportedly a hard pill for Meghan to swallow.
Harry currently sits sixth in the line of succession, following Prince Charles, Prince William, and the Duke's three children.
A royal expert dished the details to The Sun saying that despite Harry's nonchalant view, the Duchess of Sussex wasn't too happy about her husband's position in the succession.
"Meghan could not understand why, when she had married the future King’s second son, they were so much less important than William and Kate and their tribe of children," the expert said.
- Niamh Cavanagh
MARKLE V MARKLE?
Meghan Markle will find out TODAY if she will face a bombshell court showdown with her dad.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection over five articles published in February 2019 relating to a letter she sent to her father Thomas.
And Meghan will find out today whether she has succeeded in a bid to have her privacy claim resolved without a trial.
This would mean the Duchess would swerve a High Court showdown and avoid potentially facing her dad Thomas Markle and other witnesses. The judge will deliver his ruling at 4pm.
- Alice Peacock
QUEEN'S 'SPECIAL' RELATIONSHIP WITH ARCHIE
The Queen reportedly has a "very special relationship" with Archie and enjoys catching up with her great-grandson via video calls.
Omid Scobie, co-author of Finding Freedom, told the Daily Mail “Archie loves being on calls with the family".
"The Queen has been enjoying those throughout lockdown," he said.
“She has a very special relationship with Archie and due to them all living in Windsor, was one of the royals to spend the most time with him as a baby."
- Alice Peacock
MEGHAN AND HARRY FUND SCHOOL KITCHEN
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are helping build a new primary school and disaster relief centre in Dominica.
The scheme, taking place at Soufriere Primary School, is the first major project of their new charity, Archewell Foundation, Newsweek reported.
The facility would feed children at the school, help to train locals chefs and would provide food for the vulnerable in the event of a natural disaster.
The project was a partnership between Archewell and World Central Kitchen, run by celebrity chef Jose Andres.
- Alice Peacock
INVICTUS GAMES LAUNCHING NEW PODCAST
Prince Harry is putting his weight behind the Invictus Games' new collaboration with the UK's National Health Service.
Harry has been involved with the Invictus Games, an international adaptive sport competition for wounded servicemen, women and veterans, since the inaugural event in 2014.
The organisation behind the Games announced a project with the NHS shortly after it was announced that the 2021 competition would be cancelled, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The project would "provide guidance on how to support the physical, mental, and social well-being" of healthcare workers during these challenging times.
In a statement, Harry said: "With this ongoing project, we know that the NHS and Invictus communities will learn from each other, support each other, and lead conversations that everyone can draw from."
- Alice Peacock
JUDGE'S RULING EXPECTED AT 4PM
More on our last story now.
This crux of Meghan's privacy row centres around extracts from the handwritten letter she sent to her dad Thomas, 76, in August 2018.
She was said to have felt forced to write the "painful" letter after they reached "breaking point".
Her dad is willing to give evidence for the Mail on Sunday if it goes to trial.
During a two-day hearing in January, her lawyer Justin Rushbrooke QC described the 1,250-word letter as "a heartfelt plea from an anguished daughter to her father".
But in a sensational witness statement, Thomas Markle claimed the letter was a "criticism" of him.
- Alice Peacock
WILL MEGHAN MARKLE FACE OFF WITH FATHER IN COURT?
Meghan Markle will find out today if she will face a bombshell court showdown with her dad.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection over five articles published in February 2019 relating to a letter she sent to her father Thomas.
And Meghan will find out today whether she has succeeded in a bid to have her privacy claim resolved without a trial.
This would mean the Duchess would swerve a High Court showdown and avoid potentially facing her dad Thomas Markle and other witnesses.
The judge will deliver his ruling at 4pm.
- Carly Bass
WHY DID MEGHAN CHANGE HER NAME AND WHAT'S HARRY'S REAL NAME?
It's not unusual for celebrities to change their names for the stage.
Meghan's in company with Elton John, Katy Perry and Jamie Foxx, who all famously swapped their first names for more glamorous monikers.
Even Prince Harry goes by a different name to the one he was born with.
His birth name is Henry Charles Albert David, and his official title is Prince Henry of Wales.
undefined - Carly Bass
MEG'S REAL NAME ISN'T MEGHAN – BUT YOU MIGHT RECOGNISE IT
Meghan Markle is now a household name, but it’s not the one on her birth certificate.
Meghan’s real name is in fact Rachel – the same name as her Suits character.
The Queen used Meghan’s full name when she officially blessed the couple’s marriage, saying: “My Lords, I declare My Consent to a Contract of Matrimony between My Most Dearly Beloved Grandson Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales and Rachel Meghan Markle, which Consent I am causing to be signified under the Great Seal and to be entered in the Books of the Privy Council.”
undefined - Carly Bass
MEGHAN AND HARRY 'ANGERED THE PUBLIC OVER ARCHIE'S BIRTH'
Meghan and Prince Harry angered Prince William when they "deliberately misled" the public about Archie's birth, an expert previously claimed.
In his book Battle of Brothers, royal expert Robert Lacey explains how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son Archie was born at 5:26am on 5 May 2019 – but Buckingham Palace didn't announce anything about the birth until 2pm that day.
The author – who is an advisor for Netflix's The Crown – claims the statement implied that Meghan had only just gone in to labour when the new mum was actually already at home with baby Archie.
He wrote: “Harry and Meghan were resolute that their newborn baby's first sight of the world should not be the same insane and lethal camera-flashing that had attended — had actually brought about — the death of Diana.”
However, the expert claims Prince William was frustrated by this and felt that Harry and Meghan had “deliberately mislead” the public.
undefined - Carly Bass
MEGHAN AND HARRY WANT 2021 TO BE A TIME OF HEALING
A close friend of the royal couple spoke to the magazine about their year away from the UK after Megxit.
They touched on the reported rift between Harry, 36, and his brother William, before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit as senior royals.
Last year The Sun revealed that William and Harry had barely spoken in months, other than to wish each other Happy Birthday.
Sources say William was stunned at Harry’s decision to throw away his duty and service to the crown, and furious that the Queen had been backed into a corner.
The source said: “Family disagreements tend to lose heat with distance and time.
“[They] are hoping 2021 can be a time of healing not just for the world but for their family.”
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