There is already enough royal drama in 2020 and it seems there's no end to Meghan's uncertain life as a Royal. The battle between Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, and the United Kingdom's Mail and Associated Newspapers took a surprising turn, on January 14, after legal documents submitted by the newspaper suggested that her father, Thomas Markle, could be called as a key witness for the defence of the newspaper.
The royal couple, Harry and Meghan had filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, in October last year, "over the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018," relating to the unlawful publication of a private letter sent by Meghan to her father.
A legal spokesperson from Schillings who are representing the Duchess of Sussex said,
"We have initiated legal proceedings against the Mail on Sunday, and its parent company Associated Newspapers, over the intrusive and unlawful publication of a private letter written by the Duchess of Sussex, which is part of a campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband.
Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda".
The newspaper group got the support of Meghan's father Thomas Markle
Now, however, it looks like the newspaper has got the support from Thomas Markle who seem to be co-operating with the defence, making him a likely witness in the case. And as a result, the father and daughter could end up facing each other after years of speculation over their fraught relationship.
The official documents filed with the High Court in London by Associated Newspapers has defended the publication of the excerpts and includes evidence from Thomas Markle – who could also be called in to testify if the case goes on to trial.
"The claimant''s (Meghan) privacy rights do not extend to silencing her father," the documents note. The court documents also include some text messages sent from Thomas to his daughter ahead of the wedding as part of the defence, which claims that he "did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so".
It is not yet clear whether Markle will testify if the case reaches the court or it will be settled outside the court.
This is the latest addition in a dramatic period for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex
On January 8, Harry and Meghan made a shocking announcement that they intend to "step back" from royal duties and "carve out a progressive new role" in the family.
In response, the Queen called a meeting of senior royals, after which the family announced that a "period of transition" had been agreed while details of the Sussexes' new role has to be discussed as soon as possible. Meghan is currently in Canada, where she and Harry are expected to live part-time during this period.
