Just call her Meghan Thee Money. The publishers of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper have agreed to pay the Duchess of Sussex a “significant” amount in damages after publishing large portions of a private letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle.
Court documents seen by BAZAAR.com show that Associated Newspapers will hand over an unspecified amount for infringing her copyright of the letter after they put the handwritten note on the front page of the Mail on Sunday and in several MailOnline articles in 2018. A small sum of £1 ($1.36) will also be transferred to Meghan for invading her privacy—a “nominal” sum that was agreed on by both parties to avoid a lengthy argument over the extent of damages the duchess has suffered.
In March 2021, a British High Court judge also ordered the tabloid publisher to cover a large portion of Meghan’s legal costs, which are now believed to be more than $2 million. A spokesperson for the duchess confirms to BAZAAR that the payout for copyright infringement is substantial and will be donated to an anti-bullying charity in due course.
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As part of the court settlement revealed today, January 5, all Mail outlets have also been ordered to never disclose the names of Meghan’s five friends who anonymously spoke to People magazine for a 2019 cover feature about the royal. Last year, the publisher made it clear it wanted to name the individuals.
The news follows the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline carrying court-ordered front-page and homepage legal notices, alongside a short report of the summary judgment, which was delivered to the paper by Judge Warby. The publisher had hoped the news would fly under the radar by publishing on December 26, one of the quietest newspaper-buying days on the British calendar, but Sussex supporters quickly turned #MeghanMarkleWon into a trending hashtag worldwide.
In December, Associated Newspapers lost an appeal to have the case reopened and taken to trial after a panel of three judges at the Court of Appeals concluded that Meghan had “a reasonable expectation of privacy” regarding the contents of the letter to Thomas Markle.
Following her double win, the Duchess of Sussex called it a victory “not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right.” Calling out the Mail’s “harmful practice,” she added, “The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same.”
Omid Scobie is BAZAAR.com’s Royal Editor at Large and has covered the lives and philanthropic work of the younger members of the British Royal Family for over eight years. As well as spearheading exclusive coverage of major royal milestones (including the weddings of both the Cambridges and Sussexes), Scobie has traveled extensively with Harry, Meghan, William and Kate on their engagements in the U.K. and around the world. As ABC News’s Royal Contributor, Scobie is a regular on Good Morning America and host of the network’s forthcoming podcast, The Heir Pod.
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