Meghan Markle has applied to block the Mail on Sunday from publishing the names of her five friends who spoke anonymously to People magazine.
The move is part of Meghan’s ongoing case against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the UK Mail on Sunday, for printing a “private and confidential” letter to her estranged father Thomas Markle.
The 38-year-old has claimed that publishing their names “poses a threat to their emotional and mental wellbeing”.
In a witness statement, Meghan said: “Each of these women is a private citizen, young mother, and each has a basic right to privacy.”
The mother-of-one accused the Mail on Sunday of “playing a media game with real lives”, claiming the threat to expose her friends was “for no reason other than clickbait and commercial gain”.
“These five women are not on trial, and nor am I,” she continued, “The publisher of the Mail on Sunday is the one on trial.”
“It is this publisher that acted unlawfully and is attempting to evade accountability; to create a circus and distract from the point of this case – that the Mail on Sunday unlawfully published my private letter.”
Associated Newspapers have defended the letter’s publication by suggesting Meghan put it in the public domain by allegedly telling friends about it – who later spoke to People magazine.
However, the Duchess has insisted she was unaware that five close friends were planning to speak to People magazine about her strained relationship with Thomas, for an article published in February 2019.
The People magazine article, which was published on February 18, 2019, referred to letters exchanged between Meghan and her father Thomas.
The five friends requested anonymity at the time of their interview, in order to protect their private relationships.
Meghan’s case against Associated Newspapers kicked off in London’s High Court at the end of April.
The Duchess is seeking damages from Associated Newspapers Ltd for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act.
On the latest episode of Goss Chats, Ali Ryan sits down with Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn, who reveals the real drama between the women on the show, and how she battled coronavirus on her wedding day.
#GossChats is sponsored by top Irish aesthetic clinic Haus of JeJuve, which is now back open for bookings.
