LONDON -- The Duchess of Sussex was advised by two senior members of Britain's royal family to write a letter to her estranged father that a British newspaper later published in part, court papers filed Wednesday show.
The former Meghan Markle, 39, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy and copyright infringement over five articles that included portions of the handwritten letter she wrote to her father after her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry.
The articles were published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and on the MailOnline website in February 2019.
A document filed at London's High Court by the duchess' legal team said Meghan wrote Thomas Markle the letter 鈥渋n an attempt to get him to stop talking to the press.鈥�
The document said that due to her 鈥渄istress鈥� at media coverage of her father 鈥渁nd as the newest member of the royal family who wanted to follow protocol, the claimant sought advice from two senior members of the royal family on how best to address the situation.鈥�
It said she wrote the letter 鈥渋n accordance with the advice that she had received.鈥� The document did not name the members of the royal family consulted by Meghan.
Associated Newspapers, which strongly denies the duchess' allegations, has claimed Meghan had help writing the letter from her and Harry's then-communications director, Jason Knauf, or other palace staff.
Meghan's lawyers said she showed a draft of the letter to her husband and to Knauf, and that Knauf provided 鈥渇eedback on the draft but no actual wording.鈥�
Markle, an American actress and star of TV legal drama 鈥淪uits,鈥� married Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, in a lavish ceremony at Windsor Castle in May 2018. Their son, Archie, was born the following year.
Early this year, the couple announced they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said was the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. They recently bought a house in Santa Barbara, California.
Last month, High Court judge Mark Warby agreed to a request by Meghan to postpone the trial of the case by about nine months, from January until fall 2021. The decision followed a hearing held in private, and Warby said the reason for the delay request should be kept confidential.
In a ruling on aspects of the case on Wednesday, Warby said Thomas Markle had not been told the reason for the delay.
