Meghan Markle has released a statement, after scoring another major victory in her privacy battle against Associated Newspapers.
On Thursday, the UK Court of Appeal denied the publisher’s request to overturn a High Court ruling that it breached the Duchess’ privacy.
The former actress had previously sued the publisher of the Mail On Sunday over five articles that reproduced parts of a private letter she sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018.
Meghan won the case back in February, after the High Court ruled that the publication of her letter was unlawful.
But last month, Associated Newspapers challenged that ruling at the Court of Appeal in London, arguing the case should go to a trial.
Their appeal was supported by new evidence from Jason Knauf, the former communications secretary to the Sussexes, who claimed the Duchess wrote the letter with the understanding it may become public.
Despite presenting new evidence in court, judges Geoffrey Vos, Victoria Sharp and Lord Justice Bean dismissed the publisher’s appeal on Thursday.
After the ruling hit headlines, the Duchess of Sussex released a statement which said: “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right.”
“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.”
“From day one, I have treated this lawsuit as an important measure of right versus wrong. The defendant has treated it as a game with no rules.”
“The longer they dragged it out, the more they could twist facts and manipulate the public, even during the appeal itself, making a straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted in order to generate more headlines and sell more newspapers — a model that rewards chaos above truth.”
“In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation and calculated attacks,” she continued.
“Today, the courts ruled in my favour — again — cementing that The Mail on Sunday, owned by Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law.”
Meanwhile, Associated Newspapers said it was disappointed with the decision, and would consider an appeal to the Supreme Court.
In a statement, the publisher said: “It is our strong view that judgment should be given only on the basis of evidence tested at trial, and not on a summary basis in a heavily contested case.”
