The Duchess of Sussex is in the early stages of taking legal action against a Sunday newspaper, alleging that it published one of her private letters. On Tuesday evening, Prince Harry released a lengthy statement on the couple's website, Sussex Official, where he spoke about how his wife has become "one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press. He explained that it had been incredibly painful for them as a family. It read: "As a couple, we believe in media freedom and objective, truthful reporting. We regard it as a cornerstone of democracy and in the current state of the world – on every level – we have never needed responsible media more. Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences – a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son."
Meghan Markle is taking legal action against a newspaper
The statement continued: "There is a human cost to this relentless propaganda, specifically when it is knowingly false and malicious, and though we have continued to put on a brave face – as so many of you can relate to – I cannot begin to describe how painful it has been. Because in today’s digital age, press fabrications are repurposed as truth across the globe. One day’s coverage is no longer tomorrow’s chip-paper. Up to now, we have been unable to correct the continual misrepresentations - something that these select media outlets have been aware of and have therefore exploited on a daily and sometimes hourly basis."
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Prince Harry wrote a defiant statement to defend his wife
"It is for this reason we are taking legal action, a process that has been many months in the making. The positive coverage of the past week from these same publications exposes the double standards of this specific press pack that has vilified her almost daily for the past nine months; they have been able to create lie after lie at her expense simply because she has not been visible while on maternity leave. She is the same woman she was a year ago on our wedding day, just as she is the same woman you’ve seen on this Africa tour."
The royal couple are worried history is repeating itself
Harry went on to describe the behaviour as "bullying" and that it isn't acceptable at any level. He also feared that it was history repeating itself following the treatment his mother, the late Princess Diana received from the media. He wrote: "Though this action may not be the safe one, it is the right one. Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces."
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The royal went on to thank the public for their support, ending the statement writing: "We thank you, the public, for your continued support. It is hugely appreciated. Although it may not seem like it, we really need it." Meghan is being represented by law firm Schillings, who have revealed that she has filed a High Court claim against the Mail on Sunday over the alleged misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the Data Protection Act 2018.
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