It has been nearly a year since “Megxit” turned the British Royal Family on its head, a move perhaps foreshadowed by the October 2019 news that Meghan Markle had filed a lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, publisher of the British Daily Mail and The Mail. The lawsuit alleged an invasion of privacy, including copyright infringement, misuse of private information and violation of the Data Protection Act, following the contents of the Duchess’s letters to her estranged father, Thomas Markle were published without permission by the tabloids, amid what Prince Harry described as a “brutal campaign” against his wife.
In the months since, the case has “taken some chilling turns,” said the Sunday Times, with Markle’s attorneys now slated to argue for a summary judgment, which, if accepted, will effectively end the lawsuit before going to trial. This is the hope of at least one senior royal source who spoke to the Times and expressed concern that a trial would be “very uncomfortable for the institution” of the royal family, as well as for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex herself.
“A trial would be traumatic for Meghan and Harry, it would expose palace operations, staff members would be dragged into it on the witness stands,” the source told the newspaper.
The Times notes that a lawsuit could also necessitate a contentious reunion in court between Markle and her father, citing the Times as previously (and somewhat menacingly) saying, “I see Meghan in court.” If so, it could also mean a first face-to-face meeting between Harry and his father-in-law, who famously pulled out of attending the couple’s 2018 wedding at the last minute after infamous joining forces with the paparazzi.
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Another figure in this legal drama – not to be confused with Markle’s former TV series, To grab, is “one of the royal family’s most trusted lawyers,” Gerrard Tyrrell. The Times provides further insight into the events that led to Megxit:
Tyrrell is said to have joined several senior Sussex assistants in advising against Meghan’s lawsuit, but the pair turned to Schillings, a company known for aggressive tactics on behalf of famous clients who are angry with the media.
“Before Harry and Meghan pulled the trigger, we wanted to show them what it would look like if it went all the way through [to trial] and to face that, ”said a royal well.
But the advice fell on deaf ears; the Sussexes gave up on royal life in the UK in favor of a “progressive new role” in America.
That progressive new role included a number of public and become increasingly personal, confirming the couple’s departure from senior royals’ protocol. After inking a multimillion-dollar development agreement with Netflix and settle in a new compound in Montecito, California. with son Archie, last week, the couple launched their new podcast on Spotify. A decision on Markle’s case is expected this month.