Indeed, truth always prevails!
No matter how much time it takes or how much someone manipulates it, in the end, the one who is right comes out as the winner. Guess that’s what happened with Meghan Markle.
Markle has been fighting a long-overdue legal battle with ANL (Associated Newspapers Limited), the media house that publishes the Daily Mail, the Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline for the past three years has finally won the case and will soon get the due damages. Not only this, but she’ll also get a public apology on the newspaper’s front page and one on the homepage of MailOnline.
Patience is the key to success
On December 2, 2021, the Court of Appeal upheld Markle’s claim of breach of privacy and copyright infringement against ANL, and the mother of two couldn’t stop smiling. While making a statement, she said that this victory isn’t for her to celebrate alone but belongs to every individual who has ever felt scared of standing up for what’s right.
The Duchess of Sussex revealed that from day one, she has been treating this issue as a case of right versus wrong. Though the defendant crossed all boundaries while fighting against her, she decided to stand by the truth and play fair. And at last, justice prevailed.
The hows and whys to Markle’s legal battle
On August 22, 2018, Markle wrote a letter to her father (Thomas Markle), explaining how disappointed she was with his frequent media appearances and its consequences on her then-to-be husband, Prince Harry. Soon after the letter was posted, it became viral and appeared in the Mail on Sunday. Seeing how a private letter was used to spread rumors and create a wrong impression, Markle filed a suit for copyright infringement and breach of privacy against ANL. The case went on for three long years, and finally, in February 2021, High Court judge, Justice Warby, issued a judgment summary statement in favor of the Duchess.
Unhappy with the decision, ANL appealed to the court and brought in new pieces of evidence in the form of a message exchange between Markle and her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf, that stated Markle knew that the letter to her father could go public. In November 2021, the Court of Appeal took three days to hear the arguments from both sides and ruled that the judge, Mr. Justice Warby, was right to grant summary judgment in favor of Markle.
The Duchess’ letter was personal, private, and by no means was a case of legitimate public interest. The ruling also stated that the case would return to the High Court to determine the damages, and the media house would publicly apologize for their mistake.