I’ve started writing this about five different times and I keep having to stop and go back and try to figure out what’s actually happening. This is all about the Duchess of Sussex’s lawsuit against the Daily Mail/Mail on Sunday for their reporting around many things, but especially their reporting around Thomas Markle and the publication of a letter Meghan sent her father just a few months after her 2018 wedding. The Mail and their lawyers want to make this case all about the People Magazine cover story in early 2019, in which Meghan’s unnamed friends introduced the subject of the letter Meghan sent her father. This mess has not gone to trial yet – everything we’ve heard thus far has been pre-trial filings and the judge limiting the scope of some of Meghan’s arguments. Since I trust Omid Scobie’s take on things, here’s how he explained it:
Lawyers for Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made a court filing on June 30 following a request from the Mail on Sunday for further information. Their legal response (which the Mail published parts of today) aims to provide evidence to disprove core claims made in Associated’s case.
The response also aims to undermine the Mail’s defence that Meghan arranged for friends to speak to People about her letter to her father (and, therefore, was not entitled to privacy). The docs explain in detail that she did not know about or have anything to do with the article.
A source close to the Sussexes explains that this is the Mail on Sunday’s third request for further information: “[The paper] has continued to make a further series of claims about The Duchess, that again, we provided evidence that dismisses these claims one by one.”
Scobie also published a statement from Meghan’s lawyers about Meghan’s state of mind when the Mail was attacking her on an hourly basis. The Mail wanted her to explain why she was “vulnerable” at the time of the Mail publishing her letter to her father. This was also the justification for why Meghan’s friends went to People Magazine:
“The claimant had become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the Defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health. As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution, and prohibited from defending herself.”
I don’t really understand why people are acting like this is new information? Yes, it’s “new” because it came directly from Meghan’s lawyers, but we’ve known this entire time that Meghan and Harry felt unprotected and like they were being “prohibited” from defending themselves, Meghan especially. The Mail also has a piece out saying that Meghan “has identified five friends who gave an interview to People Magazine about the letter” and that Meghan continues to claim that she “did not know about the interview having been given, and only found out about it, and any reference to the Letter, after the People magazine article was published.” I’m not going to link to the Mail’s coverage because, obviously, they cannot be fair arbiters of what is actually happening with this case.
Regardless of whether or not you believe that Meghan actually authorized her friends to speak to People Magazine, that is not the crux of the f–king case. I feel like everyone is ignoring what ACTUALLY happened. For months, Toxic Thomas Markle was claiming up and down that Meghan had not contacted him since the wedding and for months, he was being paid to do all of those horrible f–king interviews trashing his daughter. The People story made mention of the letter as a way to point out that, actually, Toxic Tom was lying and Meghan had been in contact. And now Toxic Tom claims that he *had* to release Meghan’s letter to the Daily Mail to “prove” that she’s a big meanie. Nevermind that the actual letter showed that she was already fed up with his lies and attacks and she was begging him to stop selling her out every week. The existence of the letter actually proved that he had been lying for months.
So, again, how did the Mail twist this lawsuit into some kind of referendum on whether Meghan authorized her friends to speak to People? You know, like Kate authorized her friends to speak to Tatler (and Vanity Fair, People Magazine and the Daily Mail). You know, like Charles authorizes his people to speak to his biographers and various media outlets all the time. The fact that the Mail is sort of dictating the conversation about this issue specifically is really bugging me. All of those British tabloid editors were seriously BIG MAD at the very idea that Meghan didn’t actually have to rely on them to get her story out, that she could possibly go to a friendly American outlet like People Magazine. That’s why so much of this is happening.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN, Avalon Red.
Who needs books and tell-alls when you’ve got Meghan spilling the tea in legal court documents?
Right? Insane… Poor Meg.
I must say I don’t trust the Mail on this though. They went back asking more questions knowing she’d have no choice but to respond… and immediately turned her response into headlines. They’ll be profiting off of this for weeks, and I think the judge should stop them somehow!
I think they had been profiting from bullying her back then and want to continue profit now.
This is w win-win for the Daily Mail as they see it: content has been given for them to piss on Meghan and they are trying to divert attention from the case itself by asking her lawyers to counter argument them.
The judge should impose a gag order.
Kaiser you nailed it.
“ Regardless of whether or not you believe that Meghan actually authorized her friends to speak to People Magazine, that is not the crux of the f–king case.”
Exactly. That has nothing to do with a copyright claim, which is black and white. And the DM ‘s reporting can’t be relied on because there is a clear conflict of interest and they can’t be objective, even if they weren’t the trash rag they are and the Nytimes insteD. This is like taking Prince Andrew’s interview at face value.
This entire family is trash. Aside from what we already knew, what Meghan haters are flossing over is this new nugget: KP didn’t even tell Meghan or get her permission before responding to damaging claims with “no comment.” Don’t let them distract you with debates about whether she knew about her friends interview or whether the royal family ever defends themselves or “never complain never explain.” Not just because it’s all bull but because it allows them to ignore that this new bombshell showing KP’s utter contempt of Meghan. They went rogue and AGAINST palace protocol.
I was just checking the Daily Fail and they had over 4 thousand comments on this subject, of course mostly anti Meg meanwhile the articles about Prince Andrew possibly having his come uppance now that Epstein’s pimp was found and arrested only a few hundred. Shows you the state of the UK. US may be a circus but the UK is not far behind.
I struggle to believe Meghan didn’t know about the interview, even if she didn’t explicitly organise it herself. If you were Meghan’s friends, and you saw how the media were tearing her apart, would you go to a magazine and give them information without at least running it by Meghan (regardless of how ‘friendly’ the magazine)?
But I totally agree that it’s not the point. Unless there’s some legal principle I’m unaware of that concerns this issue (I know nothing about the law).
If I were to do something like this, I would exclude my friend so she has plausible deniability. If the party line from KP was “no comment”… I can see how her friends would stay quiet to ensure Meg can deny this honestly when asked about it
I agree. I would defend my friend vigourously, but not let her know so she could honestly tell the truth – that she had nothing to do with the article. Also, one of her friends mentioned that Meghan said in the letter that ‘she has one father’ and to ‘stop victimizing me’ and Meghan said this was not in the letter. So – if she had authorized the interview, they would have gotten the contents right. I do believe the paper is asking her questions and then using her answers for ‘clickbait’. And the royal family just let the abuse continue on but jumped to defend Kate. Good for Harry and Meghan for walking away.
I think harry organized it to give Meghan deniability. Meghan could have known Harry was planning something but not specifics.
I kind of like that theory. I think it is more likely that he might have known SOMETHING was coming (even if he didn’t know what it was) than Meghan knowing anything about it. I get bubs point – because under normal circumstances I think most people would run it past their friend first. But where this is a special case, I could see the plausible deniability being very important, and since a good chunk of her friends are media savvy, I think they’d be extra careful about how they played it.
I always felt like the People Magazine story was organized by Harry. He probably felt helpless and asked her friends to do it. Since they had Harry’s permission ,they did. Meghan may not have known until it came out. Or close to coming out.
Also, Byline Investigates said they were going to have a scoop on Meghan, this must have been it. I feel like KP sent their people after them because they deleted the Christian Jones tweet and the story is hard to find on their website. KP is making it VERY obvious it was them.
It’s not the point of the lawsuit at all but it is believable that she didn’t know. Her lawyers stated that her friends were very worried about her and had “never seen her like that”. It is entirely possible that out of desperation, they came together do something, anything to try and help her and did not tell her so she wouldn’t have to answer for it. They could’ve gotten the okay form Harry or went rogue without input from either. I 100% believe that. But again, it doesn’t matter because at the end of the day, the mail did not have permission to publish the letter.
I think it’s very likely that her American friends wouldn’t feel the need to go through a chain of command to defend their friend. They would just do it.
@Harper I agree. Her friends undoubtedly have been dying to say something for years and with her pregnancy decided enough was enough. Many of Meghan’s girlfriends run multi-million dollar businesses and are used to making executive decisions. Her friends and *their PR reps* would understand the constraints she was operating under and the importance of not involving her in any action they took.
Yes, I believe it. Firstly, I do not believe Meghan would lie, as far as I know she has not been known to lie, and it doesn’t seem in accord with her character as demonstrated by her actions. And secondly, if her friends knew that she was extremely distressed, so much that they feared for her health and that of her child, and that she had been forbidden in some way from defending herself, then I can absolutely see them thinking “well, they can stop you from speaking, Meg, but they can’t stop me!” And going ahead with it without telling her, out of anger and protectiveness and loyalty. I don’t think that is implausible at all.
I would and especially knowing how silenced she was by the family, I would just do it without letting her know.
There is a legal a principal involved. If Meghan, who owns the copyright, made the existence of the letter known then the DM can say that it was public interest because she was a public figure. It’s a valid argument under UK law. So, Meghan 100% not knowing is important.
Honestly, I kind of always assumed that Jessica was the main instigator behind it. She was always so thirsty and had defended Meghan before on Instagram. I had previously believed that Meghan was in on it too, but Jessica’s recent behavior made me rethink things. I think she’s the kind of narcissist that can be very charming and is really good at gaslighting people. They all try, but not all of them are good at it. So, most of the time we just see the abusive side that she displayed with Sasha. I can 100% see Jessica talking friends into going to people behind her back. Saying that Meghan either knew or couldn’t know so that she didn’t get in trouble with the palace. I also think Jessica was leaking in other ways and really did some damage to Meghan’s reputation that made the later smear campaign easier for people to accept.
Jessica using her connection to Meghan rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. The fact that Meghan seemed not to mind made it even worse. If you’re ok with your friend using you than you are probably ok with using other people. There were also a lot of rumors around Meghan merching and such that were hard to completely dismiss. Like Meghan’s Mirror often posting what she was wearing within seconds of her appearance. They also admitted to knowing Meghan’s itinerary for her NY baby shower, but said they hadn’t felt comfortable releasing the info because Meghan had made it clear that she didn’t want the press hounding her. It made Meghan look guilty because the only other people who would have known that info were her closest friends and it was firmly believed that none of them would have betrayed her. I think some thought it was her security, but they wouldn’t have gone to Meghan’s Mirror of all places. Jessica was definitely Meghan’s unofficial stylist for a while. I mean, if you have to buy a Royal Wardrobe why wouldn’t you talk to your BFF who just also happens to be a stylist? Jessica was likely the one leaking to Meghan’s Mirror and merching off of Meghan without her knowledge. Luckily, The rumors that they have been on the outs are probably true. It’s a lot harder to gaslight someone when there’s distance and other people involved. It was the rumors around the merching and being friends with users/dropping friends that really made the smear campaign easier for people to accept. If those rumors hadn’t set such a solid foundation than it would have been called out sooner. I know many people thought that Jessica was being attacked for being friends with Meghan, but many, like myself, saw it the other way around. Knowing what Jessica was like made it harder for me to see Meghan as completely innocent. Knowing just how bad Jessica is now, makes it clear that Meghan could have been completely in the dark about her. A narcissist can seem like the best friend you’ve ever had as long as they feel you’re useful to them. Jessica definitely found Meghan useful.
I think you’re seriously deflecting here. The royals don’t generally need defending because the Royal reporters generally fluff them up and keep any criticism, if any, very mild. The pLace implicitly gave the nod to attack this woman with very little if any pushback. The only time they defended her was if a story ended up making the royals look bad, like the Queen’s jewels or the gender fluid baby story. As for the merching, that is utterly ridiculous. The Mail priced out every outfit and accessory Meghan wore, there was no merching. As for the Jessica angle, that is your speculation. She did a shitty thing with Sasha, but even LaineyGossip, who does not like Jessica, admitted she has kept a lid on her Meghan access. The fact of the matter is the Royals got really bothered, really quick, about Harry’s wife and decided they would do the bare minimum to support her and turn a blind eye to press abuse, because it benefitted them. No matter how dishonestly you spin it, they look petty and vindictive. They speak to the press all the time to their benefit, and leak like sieves.
The public interest angle is relevant to her claim of “misuse of private information.” It’s separate from her claim of copyright infringement. It’s been explained pretty clearly that as the author of the letter, Meghan owned the copyright & therefore publishing any of it without her permission is copyright infringement, regardless of public interest. Prince Charles prevailed on both counts in his 2006 lawsuit about publication of portions of his diary.
Are there rumours of Kate merching? Because blogs dedicated to her or even general fashion blogs identity her items instantly too. I remember seeing that when KP was refusing to tell royal reporters about her outfit details& they would get info from royal fashion dedicated twitter instead.
The smear campaign took hold because she’s a mixed race person in an elite white space- that always attracts suspicion in people. See Obama birther conspiracy. there were wild conspiracies on social media from moment relationship was revealed. Her father and other relatives attacking her made smears more believable. If her own father is derogatory about her it’s easier to believe press reports saying the same& lining up with people’s own bias.
Meghan’s mirror found everything so fast because that’s what those sites do. I followed WKW for years and they would have an ID on an outfit almost instantly, mostly thanks to twitter. Like someone would see a glimpse of pattern underneath a coat and 5 minutes later post the link to the dress. If Meghan or Jessica was merching, then Kate was too.
I can see JM being the one to gather the friends and go to People, but if we assume that Serena was one of those quoted in People, then she might have organized it as well. She has the media connections obviously and she would know what Meghan was going through, probably more than Jessica would.
It’s kind of ridiculous to tie Meghan’s friendship with Jessica to the smear campaign.
Regardless, Lainey made it pretty clear that Jessica does not leak about Meghan
@Ainsley7, your comments are bordering on trolling. This labeling of these women as narcissists, whether Meghan or Jessica, is purely a mugxit/anti-stan talking point. This idea of “merching” is purely a mugxit/anti-stan talking point. For years, there have been several popular Keen blogs that “merch” her outfits, with the owners collecting money from advertisers while doing so. Unless you are new to royal watching, you already knew this.
@Ainsley… I work in policy and law in U.K. though not a lawyer but I don’t think you fully understand public interest here. How’s Meghan’s private letter of public interest? If you consider a private letter to be in the public’s interest then I doubt anyone will ever be entitled to privacy. Privacy is recognised under the human rights act, hence Prince William putting a gag order on U.K. media regarding his affair and claiming human rights. This was purely curiosity and sensationalism on daily mails part and nothing of public interest. Everyone is entitled to some modicum of privacy even politicians and anyone in a position funded by taxpayers. Printing the letter was highly disrespectful. Misappropriation of funds, security breach or crimes are examples of cases of public interest, a private letter can not be in the public interest unless Meghan was maybe being investigated by the law and that letter needed to be retrieved as evidence. Daily mail is not in that position to determine a private letter was in public interest regardless if being taxpayer funded or not. Also when they read the letter there was nothing in it with connections to the taxpayer so why print it? They printed it for monetary gains and to satisfy the curiosity of their brain dead readers.
I agree. I don’t know how it is pertinent to the case. I’m sure there is a strategy. But if the friends were so concerned about the publicity compromising her mental health, why would they cooperate with anything being published about her unless she gave the OK? It seems unrealistic that 5 friends all made that same gamble without running it past her. Maybe the lawyer means that Meghan gave them her blessing to speak to the press in general, but did not tell her of the actual day/time of the appointment or some technicality like that. It makes no sense that they would lie about this since the friends she identified will wind up as witnesses, so it must be factually accurate. Unless the plan is to settle and drop it before a trial?
What struck out for me was the part where Sobie says she was not allowed to defend herself by the RF. It’s funny how Lazy Kate was able to defend herself for the Tatler issue. Poor Meg.
And let’s not forget that there was that one article saying Kate had fallen out with a friend that had Willy running straight to Richard Kay for the most bizarre rebuttal you’ve ever seen.
Same here.
This means they have a proof for what they are saying, perhaps an email fo Harry asking for an official statement from RF or that they at least could be allowed to sue the papers, and receiving a no.
I can see why the RF would be very troubles by the lawsuit, because if the DM does press the issue again, then the details will be given and tea spilled and it will be ugly.
But I am sure Blind Gossip ,. DM and other outlets will always find a way to defend the RF and other powrfull figures because that is what they do.
I can’t help but think the recent Fail article about TQ and Chuck ‘watching’ the Cambridges was in ref to the fact that they keep threatening to sue newspapers who print things they don’t like or leak their side of the story.
The RF has shown they can get sh!t stopped and hidden – they chose not to with Meghan.
YES! This is a bombshell. For all the people saying it was up to Harry and Meghan to say something. Their communications team refused to do it but would do it if Will and Kate asked them. Is this why they split offices? Wtf?
No member of the royal family has ever been allowed to outright defend themselves though. Their entire philosophy has been not to react to tales whatever the provocation, at least not in the moment. After some time, an authorized biography if you are the Prince of Wales might be allowed or a one off interview. I think that his tell all interview about cheating following he and Diana, “both having tried…” was done more of necessity than privelege. The Monarchy was in danger of falling completely. Prince Charles though is the heir and the rules for him are different.
Princess Diana attempted to defend herself, much like Meghan, through intermediaries in the press with “Her True Story”. It ended up being the death knell of her marriage, imo a good thing but I’m not sure she wanted it, and it caused a disastrous mistrust between herself and the rest of the royali family. I think it is why she was denied the HRH upon divorce. Further, I think all of the public acrimony damaged both of her son’s albeit in different ways due to their ages.
Disgusting pervert Andrew, who should have had his titles taken, been exiled, and offered to the FBI on a silver platter by now did do an explanation interview for his behavior. It has resulted in more evidence of his guilt and his being made to step back from royal duties. I am still stunned that The Queen signed off on it. It was certainly going against the dictum of everything that the family had responded, or more accurately, not responded to, up until then. I can only surmise that the criminality of the accusations are what prompted the green light for self defense. Ironic in that he buried himself.
As to Meghan and Harry, the jury is still out on what will happen in their post royal duty life. I expect that both, especially Meghan, will be much happier to be able to address all subjects including politics as she sees fit. I don’t believe Harry was shocked at the refusal of palace officials to “protect” Meghan beyond bodily harm. That is certainly all that they ever did for him, his brother,or his mother. Combatting tabloids was never a route allowed even though Harry immediately did so with the open letter early in their relationship. I do believe both were hurt, angered, and frustrated at the dictum not to speak out. I just do not believe that it was a surprise in any way. These people have operated this way for ages and, in their minds, survived because of it.
I’m the end, Harry married someone he loved probably because that person was the antithesis of a royal bride: outspoken, driven, used to being a lone operator, and decisive. Those qualities which stand Meghan in good stead outside of the Monarchy were the very ones that meant that she was never going to get happy within it. in the end, things worked out best for all concerned. Now Meghan and Harry can forge their new path unencumbered by the institution of royalty, protocol, hietarchy, and courtiers while Charles, Camilla, and the Cambridges attempt to continue the Monarchy til the end. That may be upon Elizabeth’s death or due to the popularity of the Cambridge children, it may prevail longer. The royals have always depended on the younger royals to draw attention. I would say that the Sussex will be put to work for this purpose as well with Archie but I don’t believe they will be willing. Realky, if the two camps see these situations so diametrically different that may be for the best.
Funny how Kate was allowed to defended herself against allegations of her blatant use of extensions and weaves. Had the Palace issue a formal statement denying the use of extensions.
Let’s not forget W&K’s numerous lawsuits and claims to the PCC about access to the kids, photographing the kids in public, the topless photos, etc.
And all of Andrew’s public self-defense debacles.
It appears *some* members of the BRF are allowed to defend themselves publicly, but Harry and Meghan are not.
@notasugarhere — thank you so much for highlighting the hypocrisy of that poster
Apparently, some members are allowed to defend themselves but not Meghan and Harry; their stars were too bright especially Meghan; so why not dim it by smearing her.
We had defense against Hair extension, Hair extension my goodness…….or Botox!!! any BS story like that but real stories reeking of racism are fine apparently.
Meghan should have been allowed to address some of the inane and BS stories published about her! or Charles should have DONE something. He is Harry’s father!!!
That is utterly ridiculous.They may not be putting out press statements refuting every point for the other Royals, but all those softball articles, car rides to church with the Queen, and the fawning articles for just potting plants says a lot. But Meghan eating an avocado is terrorism. If the Royal family doesn’t want to look bad, they shouldn’t have acted badly. People saw for themselves. Her defenders were outraged by it, and the haters were gleeful for every slight and snub. Look at Piers Morgan. No one else has received thst some vitriol from a so- called public broadcaster, not even elected officials. It is absolutely disgusting for a head of state to participate in such behavI or, and no I dm from the palace ti the Kress, to the courtiers have ever been held accountable. That country has a lot of problems that they refuse to deal with. I find what you wrote shameful.
Darling Diana that is not remotely true. We’ve just had weeks of stories based of that Tatler Catherine the Great article and KP pushing back on the ‘swathes of inaccuracies’ in it and threatening legal action. Andrew’s newsnight interview was an attempt to defend himself, address Guiffre’s allegations & repair his reputation- signed off by the Queen herself according to Newsnight interview.
KP issued that statement denying that William had bullied Harry. When there were those ‘William is lazy’ articles back in 2016, BP said to BBC that the Queen supported William’s focus on his family.
Charles has done many interviews defending himself and his positions. I even saw Prince Philip had an interview in the Independent in the 90s affair rumours and about his meddling etc was discussed and he was blasting the press in it.
Harry has been vocal on the press& sticking up for family members including Camilla. I suspect he thought his family would return the favour. Plus this smear campaign was more intense than I think modern royals have faced (how many were accused of fuelling terrorism before?) so might have expected a more pro active response than if it was usual silly gossip.
The troubles for Diana began when Charles’ friends started leaking nasty stories about her in the 1980s. In the pre Internet age it got pretty intense with the leaks attempting to make her look bad. The Morton book was a way of getting ‘her side’ out there. She did not play ball and cooperate with Charles’ “entitlements” and complained about Camilla’s presence. Diana’s work was over when she had the heir and spare and from then on she was expendable. The cooperating with Morton came out after Diana’s death. Charles interview caused damage because he did something that was previously “not done” by a royal Prince, confessed publicly he was involved with a married woman. this forced the PB divorce pronto. Meghan and Harry got married no other woman for her to complain about. Yet they were scapegoated. Harry was always the scapegoat and held to a different standard than his older brother who was protected. I think the beginnings of Harry’s wanting out started there.
CHarles tended to use his friends and sympathizers to get his side out. Penny Junor admitted that he and Camilla cooperated with Charles Victim or Villain and other of her works which tried to make him look saintly and trashed his late ex wife. His old cousins even helped do his “dirty work” whitewashing or trying to whitewash Charles own shortcomings.
Happy to see her standing for herself. The monarchy should be ashamed of themselves.
Meghan was prohibited from defending herself, yet it is possible to put out statements about hair, botox, human rights, Tatler, Andrew…..but somehow, Meghan was supposed to stay quiet.
She is back in the US, at least here we respect intelligence, ambition and hard work!
Some countries like mediocrity and that’s ok for them, some countries like their racism to be hidden, that’s their problem!
Meghan and Harry will be fine in the US; as far as I am concerned, she should never set a foot in that country! same thing for Archie…. Harry can do as he wishes, it is his family!
Are you seriously sitting in the US and saying “at least here we respect intelligence, ambition and hard work! Some countries like mediocrity and that’s ok for them, some countries like their racism to be hidden”. Remind me again who the president of your country is…
In my opinion, as an American, we were lazy and complacent the last election. Nearly half of registered voters did NOT vote. Now we can see what the effect of that is, and we have the responsibility to fix and change that. There is mobilization happening due to a lot of factors that reached a boiling point at the same time. Don’t lose hope in us, hopefully we’ll be back on the right track in November!
Oh it’s absolutely insane. But I do think that in terms of doctors trying to claim that THEY did the work it is a bit different. Obviously it’s not nearly as vicious as anything Meghan dealt with – but I could see why they wanted to squash that instead of allowing someone to make it look like they’re the palace choice for services. It’s less about who it was about, and more about the fact that someone tried to profit off of the royals for their business, I think. Again – it’s not anywhere near as viscous as anything that the tabloids ran about Meghan, but I do think it’s a weird incident that is a bit different.
For the RF, Megahn was supposed to keep wearing a terget on her back.
And @Fred, remind us again who the PM of your country is? Bozo Johnson.
I’m not the one making generalized comments about the acts of a country based on its tabloid press (and Bozo is not the PM of my country)
Apologies to your PM, whoever it might be.
But the generalization you semmed to find offensive is, in this case, factual. British tabloids are the most popular media publication in that country and have substituted real news for decades. In the USA, tabloids are, you know, for trashy fun. The American approach to these particular vehicles of disinformation and propaganda seems smarter to me than the British one.
@Fred — I will make them for you; A country where trashy tabloids are discussed on TV? no one finds anything wrong with that?
This is akin to me seeing the TMZ or the national Enquirer being discussed on CNN, BBG TV, CNBC, MSNBC, ABC, etc or even in the NYT, the Boston Globe, the WSJ, the Washington Post, the New Yorker, etc…..
My goodness, those who followed Meghan through her journey in the UK learned something about the “press” and some people as well in that country
@anon — thank you very much; you put it much more succinctly than I did
They want to pretend like “oh it is not factual”; can you imagine the tabloids being the more popular press in a country?
@VS: “At least here we respect intelligence, ambition and hard work!”
Too bad so many of you don’t respect BLM, don’t respect a woman’s right to abortion, don’t respect health care for all, don’t respect anything other than waving a gun in someone’s face because “mah rights!!!” Have you forgotten who your president is? Have you forgotten that he’s letting a pandemic run rampant? He’s ignoring intel on Russia’s interference vis-a-vis encouraging the Taliban to kill American and British military? He’s an out and out criminal.
Your comment is utter nonsense.
are we hiding it? are we gaslighting people that those issues don’t exist? You will rarely see rational US Americans being defensive about people pointing out issues in their country…………
We have issues, I am more than happy to discuss them; I am not in the process of hiding problems pretending it is all ok.
Apparently for some British here, pointing their issues is akin to “oh no look at the US: BLM, Abortion, Russia, police, etc….”. No one in the US is DENYING those issues except maga fans!
We discuss them, we don’t treat tabloids as relevant or even valid news to discuss on to; some in the UK have revealed themselves to be exactly what is portrayed in the press; that’s why their trashy tabloids can behave the way they do; it is perfectly fine with some in the public. Admitting it has nothing to do with YOU!!!!
It is great comment
Ha. The RF really didnt need to worry about Omid Scobie’s book.
Meghan and Harry are direct people, and relatively straightforward compared to others, so they were more likely to spill themselves e.g legal docs, documentaries etc than through proxies in the media.
I have no doubt Meghan has a lot more to say. I wouldn’t be surprised if it came out that she was paying for a lot of her expenses, clothes, jewelry, as well.
hmm the DM is having a field day slamming a member of the royal family and the Windsors sit by idly and do nothing. sounds unprotected to me.
Unprotected but completely in line with all of their dealings or lack thereof, with the press. “Keep calm and carry on” really seems to be their motto along with dignified, or maybe cunning, silence. They do know that answering stories, unfounded or not, just feeds the gossip mill fires. I
I’m unsure why anyone was expecting them to behave differently particularly Harry as he has been a part of the institution since birth. My only idea is that Meghan was such an unexpected, fresh, intelligent and beautiful new addition to the royal family that she brought in a massive new audience that had/has no clue has to how the royals operate not any idea that they don’t change except in s mall, incremental changes. I would be liked to see Meghan a part of that but, I now realize, that the lifestyle doesn’t suit her and the she and her family will be happier having stepped back. I doubt that she will set foot in England again for, at least five years, unless The Queen or another top royal dies.
EXCEPT they do have dealings with the press and do release statements contradicting some stories (Botox, Kate and Meghan having a tiff over staff, William bullying Harry, and those are the easy examples.) they also go to the press to counteract some stories or threaten lawsuits (see: Richard Eden response to the Rural Rival story, and the way that story was shut down as fast as possible.)
The notion that the BRF does not respond to stories in the press is absolutely false and I feel like it gets trotted out as a “too bad so sad” excuse for Meghan.
Did the Tatler article not even happen? Can people please stop mindlessly insisting it’s about Never Complain, Never Explain.
@DarlingDiana. It’s like a template with no relevance to what is actually happening.
1. Debunked excuse about NCNE
2. Perfunctory praise about Meghan before saying she was unsuitable.
3. Thousand year institution. Can’t expect change. (Except for all the changes we do see)
4. Wish Meghan had slowed down. (So the media and the Palace could have complete control of her image)
I am so tired of the same old debunked excuses.
Another attempt to re-write the past from DD…
The media and the bloggers and the royals IMO did not want her to succeed some never giving her a chance. I would say she could have adapted very nicely into that lifestyle and was eager to work and contribute–Kate who supposedly had “years” to learn while dating William did very little and excuses were made for her. Kate took forever to “research” her charities. Some born ins did not adapt nicely.
I don’t think it’s a case if the lifestyle ‘suited’ Meghan or not, they didn’t even give her a chance. She was smeared even before the wedding. I feel like they let the wedding go ahead, just to ruin meghans life and put pressure on her, forcing her to leave harry, and thus making him look like an idiot in the process with a short lived failed marriage. Whilst William in the process looks even better compared to his brother.
Up until meghans arrival KP were still saying that they were ‘easing Kate into the role”, 6 years after marriage. A total of 16 years in the royal fold, and Kate was still being gently handled into royal life. They didn’t give Meghan a week.
She was definitely unprotected.
Majority of the hateful crap was thrown at Meghan while she was pregnant and not a peep from any of the palaces, but KP sicked the lawyers over a rumor over a possible affair, that stupid Tatler article, and put out statements about the lack of botox and hair extensions.
Exactly why Harry and Meghan left.
It’s not only that the Palace did nothing in defense of the Sussex; their staff was leaking and serving as “anonymous sources” for many of the lies the BM has been printing for years. They were the enemy within.
None of these people has lost their job, some have even been promoted. It’s was all coordinated and ordered from above.
Disgusting too was when Meghan was in the early stages of her pregnancy, the nasty claptrap gossip of her “ruining” Eugenie’s wedding by “announcing” a pregnancy was all over the media. Disgusting too that the royals did not defend her. Eugenie could have issued a statement wishing her cousin well and denying the stories.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that all this is blowing up again in the press the same day Ghislane Maxwell got arrested. Everytime, something goes down about Prince Andrew’s pals, a bunch of negative news gets printed about Meghan. I hope her security is good – look what happened to Diana.
I’m concerned that the DM is treating this lawsuit like a free source for further revaluations to publish about Meghan. They’ll just keep requesting more and more stuff, then complain if they don’t get access.
@Jay, my thoughts exactly! Since the DM has no access to Meghan they are using the requests for information as an excuse to get information that they can then print in their paper to sway opinion against Meghan. I hope that her lawyers see this and are able to stop it.
This is just part of the discovery phase of a lawsuit. Any attorney would be doing the same thing when defending their client. The Mail is just profiting off the their findings by publishing it. If it isn’t sealed information, they are allowed to do this. When filing a lawsuit, you are opening yourself up for any sort of relevant dirt or juicy detail in your life to come out.
Meghan’s legal team will know this as well, therefore, it may even work in her favor. Look at how the headlines today are that the institution didn’t protect her. In their need for clicks, the Fail will let some anti-Royal sentiment get out. The Fail won’t independently conjure up anti-Royal stories on a daily basis, but they certainly won’t strike such information from a legal record and will gleefully report it. It’s been said that all Meghan and Harry’s dirt is already out there, so eventually the discovery is going to have nothing left to report but the dirt on the Royals. So let them keep digging until Will is named as the head of the smear campaign.
Exactly Harper. Her truth is coming out. The RF do not look good. At all.
@Harper Well said
I always worried about her mental health when she was pregnant and could no longer do public engagements. The balance to the constant media criticism was the reality check of crowds and people being eager and happy to meet her. There’s positive endorphins from that experience to help balance the toll of the media coverage and palace fights. It also helps to out the media coverage into perspective. She lost that for the end of her pregnancy and for months after taking care of a newborn. So yes she was vulnerable.
No bride needs that stress before her wedding, and no mother needs it when she’s pregnant. Two occasions where everyone has a right to feel protected and happy….
They didn’t want to know why she was vulnerable, in addition to being pregnant. basically saying that her pregnancy wasn’t reason enough. SMH
I don’t know who I hate the most: her father who sold her out for a quick buck, Charles for standing by and not protecting his son, daughter in law and grandson who was compared to a chimp not even 24 hours after his birth, William and his fuckn horse looking self for being a POS cheater and throwing his only sibling and his pregnant wife under the bus to cover up his own shit or Kate, the broom stick with a wiglet for being an unmitigated bitch who was threatened the entire time Meghan was around, did nothing to help her and helped her horse husband with the wandering dick to gaslight and smear the life out of Meghan and then had the nerve to go on a podcast and talk about how important a mother’s mental health is for their child while KNOWING what was happening to Meghan. Maybe the Queen for letting Andrew complete that disastrous interview and still continue to be seen with him out of support and release statements in his defense? I don’t know. It’s hard to choose.
I genuinely think they wanted Meghan to miscarry. The stress and turmoil they put her through and prohibited her from defending her or her friends from defending her? Everyone talks about her belly upping but if I was her I’d be doing to make sure my baby was still with me cause that amount of stress is extremely dangerous. It’s a miracle Archie was delivered successfully. Thank God they escaped, I wish them happiness but above all I hope Meghan finds some peace.
Yeah Kate takes the cake with her supposed concern for pregnant and new mothers when her sister in law was pregnant and was daily raked over the coals. She didn’t think about the stress Meghan was going through, since she supposedly cares about expectant mothers.
@s808, 💯
Thomas Markle is no father!!!!! there is one person I would have like to hear from but I am pretty certain she will never talk: it is Doria!
Can you imagine your child being attacked by their own father that way? my goodness, Meghan should never ever speak to Thomas again! he is just a sperm donor!
Thank you S808 for stating it so perfectly!
@S808
EVERYTHING YOU SAID 100%
The loathers of Meghan disliked intensely that she and Harry were expecting a baby. they wished her “barren” so Harry would “come to his senses” and “marry someone appropriate.” I actually read this trash on blogs. Then when she was pregnant it was “fake” and she “tricked Harry” and the “nerve” of her for “announcing a pregnancy” at Eugenie’s wedding. Now the people who dislike her intensely say she “uses” Archie as “their meal ticket.” I don’t recall any royal getting that much intense loathing by some in blogs and media sites. Yet the royals just sat back and watched.
@S808 ALL OF THIS!
At this point I can’t stand not one member of that inbred family.
And for what it’s worth, a LOT of people believe the tabloid press here in the UK, their stories are always all over daytime television shows and they read them out as fact.
Today on a morning show, a (white) woman stated venomously how Meghan should grow up and stop whining. Most of the call ins accused Meghan of bringing all the bad press upon herself, how she split up the brothers, how she showed great disrespect for the queen who has been through enough! I really couldn’t believe what I was hearing, ALL these people were white and totally dismissed the racism that was evident.
People like to pretend that there is no racism here, all I can do is roll my eyes, it’s tiring.
They are all evil and Meghan’s treatment has made the BRF a major turnoff for me. I will continue to criticise them any time I get. We see you hypocrites. Now I don’t know why the UK wants to keep funding them. The Queen is useless.
The weird thing is, I sort of forgot about Thomas because he disappeared so fast and so completely. She really did beat him at his own game sending him a letter she knew he’d sell, completely discrediting him as a source in the process.
Well that’s the DMs contention…that she wrote the letter with the expectation that it might be leaked and that the point of the lawsuit is to trash talk the RF, right? The thing I find hardest to make sense of is that Meghsn’s lawyer’s case seems to be that it wasn’t possible for Harry, Meghan, or anyone on their staff to speak in their defense while they were living with the royal family. Once H&M left the country, they can not only defend themselves, but seek restitution. That implies that they were legally gagged, rather than following decorum, but now they aren’t. Separate topic… her lawyers brought up her mental health. I’m sure it would be extremely difficult to go through what she did. 100% I would have lost it. But, as a legal argument, saying your client was not mentally healthy is significant. It doesn’t seem like there was context. It’s like they’re taunting the Daily Mail to pursue “Meghan says she is Insane!!!” headlines.
The only reason M wrote the letter is b/c her stupid father was not answering her calls and text messages!! How else was she gonna get in contact with him, hence the letter!!
I don’t know if what I’m seeing said about all of this over on twitter is accurate, but what I’ve seen said is that the Mail wants to have the identities of the people who talked to People Mag to stick up for Meghan publically released.
However, because they are all apparently American Citizens who spoke to an American publication they actually can’t legally release the names or identities of who the friends who spoke were. Even if they – the Mail – might have some idea of who the people were anyway. (And People Mag isn’t part of the lawsuit and, even if People Mag is more on the celebrity gossip end of things and not a more serious news mag, there is no way they are going to publicly burn anonymous sources for no damn reason. No celeb in the US would talk to them again if they did that).
Publicly releasing the names/identities of the sources doesn’t help the Fail with this case. If they really do want the identities made public, it’s clearly because the Mail wants to try to discredit and destroy those people publically. It’s about trying to assert some control because, as said, the fact that Meghan didn’t have to rely on the British Tabs – and neither did her friends – to try and defend her really grates on them. You can see it even now, with Harry and Meghan having compelty cut the British Tabs out and going to other – mostly American – news sources to speak and get information out.
Also, the British Tabs never thought the lawsuits would go this far. They had compelty convinced themselves that Harry and Meghan would drop the lawsuits and finally cave into playing the same sycophantic transactional relationship all the other royals play with the British Press. (Like that fool Arthur Edwards who kept saying if Meghan would just have them for tea she’d get better coverage). So they’ll go for anything they think might/hope with give them a power-upper hand in all of this, even if they just turn out to be Hail Mary passes and not much else.
It’s the same exact reason they wanted the godparents names so badly. More names to dig up stories and dirt on, try to make Meghan look bad for it, clickbait galore…rinse, repeat.
Remember they tried it with her friends who went with her to Wimbledon. KP really had Wimbledon insiders sit with Kate and have the tabloids claims it was her friends. LOL
It’s plausible they got the ok from Harry to defend in her in PEOPLE mag. Considering he himself has put out statements to defend his wife. Which would explain why and how she didn’t know until it was published. I don’t see anything wrong with defending someone you care about when you know they can’t defend themselves she wasn’t allowed to.
Previously, I could see three scenarios being true: Meghan 100% knew and authorized the People article*; Meghan’s friends were like “would you be mad if we talked to an American outlet about you” and didn’t give her any more details, or Meghan’s friends thought “wow, they are slamming our girl, we’re going to defend her but not tell her since KP would say no.”
*I don’t think this is true at this point, because I don’t think Meghan would lie in court filings.
Anyway, we knew KP wouldn’t defend her or let her defend herself, but its still so disheartening to see it in writing like that. The reaction to the Tatler article probably did hurt her, a lot. One snarky article about Kate and the KP defense machine goes into full swing. Meghan is the victim of a vicious smear campaign that goes on for months, and William and Kate stage a budget plan photo op.
it really does just show that the call was coming from inside the house. That’s why the palace was so mad about this lawsuit. It’s airing their dirty laundry in a way that really makes them look bad.
It is disheartening, sickening even, to have it laid right out like that, even though we all suspected this. And since one of the other palaces (TQ, Charles) could presumably have overridden what KP was doing, but didn’t, they were either fine with what was going on and didn’t give a sh*t, or in on the smearing themselves. None of them look good, and they deserve it.
KP and CP’s communication staff were, it seems, in cihorts in this matter.
Will and Kate are not good people.
And THIS is why the brothers were fighting. Not because William and Kate told Harry to slow down.
And partly why the Sussexes were allowed their own offices and team. Charles was reluctant and pretended it was about money. My guess is the Queen was okay with saying yes which is why we also got a story about William running to Philip to discuss it. And the dumb quote later about William not being able to put his arms around his brother anymore.
Meghan was right to say that not many people had asked her if she was okay.
No, the brothers I suspect are fighting for more than one reason-the press is just a piece of the puzzle. Poor Harry probably thought his big brother would have his back no matter what…but by pulling this crap with his wife, well, you can smell the disloyalty from thousands of kilometers away.
I suspect that part of the issue is that Harry has always been the second son. Always the test pony who is forced to lose so the big important golden racehorse can grow his ego and win. Prince Will and his future takes precedence over everything and people expect Harry to go gently into that good night where all second borns go: an increasingly unstable income and ultimately to an apartment in KP, forgotten and discarded and possibly alcoholic like Margaret or a ne’er do well like Andrew. “Support the monarch/heir! Support him!” Even if you do not get any support in return, let alone loyalty. You become fair game for the buzzards.
Nobody should be treated like they are always less than, not like that. Harry hopefully will learn that his brother was willing to sacrifice him so he could schtup some brainless horse faced broad with big boobs. His grandmother has poured all her resources into a son that will never return the dividends at the expense of her other children….and she could cause a much bigger blow to the institution than Meghan ever could, by protecting a criminal. They can make zoom calls all they want and manipulate his guilt,, but they’ve proven they won’t think twice about betraying their own. His own brother doesn’t seem to have learned a thing regarding his mother and has become as big of a toad as his father was, this time to Kate. (Harry was very much Mama’s little man. I’d wager he was enraged when he figured out what Will was up to.)
this is going to be a loooong lawsuit, and the dm is going to milk every ounce of it. luckily, most of the people paying attention already have their minds made up about meghan. either they don’t like her, or they support her. i don’t see many people on the fence these days.
This is why I would never have counselled Meghan to bring this case (although I can see why she did and why she would want to). It basically gives the Fail free content and exclusives on her. They have no incentive to settle, they will probably make more from the stories they get out of the case than they will lose if and when they lose the case. It also is going to have limited precedent value for her. Strategically, I don’t see the benefit.
As for the relevance of the People article, it is to do with one of the defences being advanced by the Fail. They claim that Meghan is attempting to control the narrative by planting positive stories for herself, including about the letter in question (the People story) which the Fail had a public interest in refuting. It’s not the point of the case, but it is relevant to the legal position.
It also is a way to shift blame onto the palace. All the big headlines are about the palace left her out the dry. They rightfully look horrible. I bet MOS is trying to pressure the palace into making H&M drop the lawsuit (they can’t and won’t).
Yes, the MOS will profit but if it’s a way for her to uncover what she went through behind the scenes and how involved the palace was, I could see why she insisted on going through with the case.
The case is not just about Meghan. The Scum and The Fail have ben destroying people’s lives for decades and getting away with it. Meghan is doing a public service to the world by exposing the way these toxic tabloids work behind the scenes: the blackmailing, illegal vigilance, extorsion, all the lies and smears.
I agree with this. Harry and Meghan see the lawsuits as part of cleaning up a dirty business that has been ruining peoples lives for decades, in my opinion. They are not afraid to take on the big ones – look at them publically siding against Facebook and actively trying to get big name businesses to join with them against a very damaging, out of control company. I think Harry, at least, sees it as a crusade.
But we all knew this? Or at least anyone paying any attention to the Leveson Enquiry did. It’s already been exposed. These papers have been sued before, and often for far worse behaviour than they are being accused of now, and nothing has changed. People sue them all the time (and I have brought cases against them for clients) – it doesn’t actually bring about any lasting change. That is why I was referring to strategy, I can’t see the long term benefit from this and in the short term she provides them with easy exclusive content through the proceedings.
Didn’t the Sussex’s even state that they weren’t fighting for just themselves but for everyone who’s had their lives destroyed by the tabloid media? Harry and Meghan have and will continue to fight for those who are unable to fight for themselves.
Doing something is better than doing nothing at all. Change may not come in their lifetime, or even Archie’s but it’s best to try. I admire them for that. This is bigger than them. Some people sit back and don’t want to “rock the boat” thank God Harry and Meghan aren’t like that.
How would the Fail have a public interest in refuting the letter? It wasn’t about them nor addressed to them, it was to and about her father. And while he may have had the right to publish it in the US, the Fail didn’t have the right to publish the letter in the U.K. without Meghan’s permission. The Fail knows this so they are trying to go down swinging and get as many hits in on Meghan as they can.
I’m not saying its a good legal argument, but its not so obviously bad that Meghan wouldn’t have to respond to it in Court – otherwise Meghan’s legal team would have applied to strike it out.
So according to you, she should have let it go? why because you think details being revealed now are damaging to her? how exactly?
Is anyone surprised? if anyone is and has been following this saga, I have a bridge to sell them
What I am seeing is how strong Meghan is. She was pregnant, pregnant! just typing this makes me angry. How Archie is handsome baby is her reward after all she has been through to bring him to this world!
As I said, I can see why she did it and I sympathize with her position. For me, though, the risk/reward analysis of the legal proceedings is a no win.
This is why the UK, Australia and USA, countries where Murdoch has put his paws on, hve been headed the way they’re headed.
Complacency hurts society, sincenot everything is a matter of short term benefits. We’re lucky some people like Harry and Meghan and their legal representatives are brave enough to go forward.
@anon — we have the same issues here in the US with the Fox News crew and their audience…….can you imagine that Obama wearing a tan suit was a scandal but the countless misdeeds of Orange man are not even discussed? but we have so many other channels with people who can discuss news; Fox News is apparently not a news channel
Fox News represents what I see is more than 70% of news cycle in the UK. they keep telling us how no one cares about the RF (which is probably true; very few in the US will give a damn in Meghan wasn’t American); they keep telling us how the press doesn’t represent them, then who consumes the garbage from DM or the Sun or their countless tabloids?
Fox News has an audience; their coverage is a reflection of them; by comparison the same thing applied over there
Anyway Meghan is home; that’s all that matters! she doesn’t have to ever go there; Harry can go if he wants to; it is his country after all and his family!
Actually, these revelations seem to be helping her. It has now been exposed that KP wouldn’t allow her to defend herself when she was being attacked during her pregnancy, but quickly mounted up like The Regulators to go after Tatler for a gossip article about Kate. How does that look? The Daily Mail can keep digging for content, but I suspect that content is going to make the BRF look worse and worse.
That’s not quite right. Meghan’s legal complaints are 1) invasion of privacy and 2) copyright infringement.
For the first claim – invasion of privacy – the paper’s defense is that the letter wasn’t “private” because she authorized 3rd parties (her friends) to tell People Magazine about it in their article. In legal terms, that’s called “opening the door.” Thus, Meghan has to make clear that she did not authorize her friends to talk to the press about the letter; that they did so without her permission.
I read an article that the Fail may lose (because no real defence to the copyright claim) but will want to get mileage out of the case which is why they weren’t settling. I see that happening here & why they are pushing for info that doesn’t seem that relevant eg asking why she was vulnerable. I mentioned previously that I feel the press aren’t happy being the complete fall guy for Sussexit so think the press also want the Firm’s role to come out. Also for gossip factor.
It was interesting to learn they wouldn’t let her comment on articles. I guess that’s why during feudgate article saying Kate shouted down Meghan for mistreating her staff was only one denied. Sara Latham reported to the BP comms head so was it that much better once they moved under BP?
I wonder what happened at KP when Fail published her letter to markle Snr.
Did you see the details on Toxic Tom? Meghan was springing for the hotel, flights, clothes for events, a minder. When Daddy became “ill” he turned down a security team to take him to the hospital. TT was afraid he will be discovered he fake the heart attack. Meghan’s letter also revealed she was hacked off Daddy allowed the press to manipulate him. By allowing Bad Dad gave consent to participate in the smears. She plans to go after Daddy.
I wish Meghan left the wedding revenue and the York princesses out of the filings. They have no bearings in the case. It’s an unforced error and the Fail is using it to muddy the waters. Stick to the copyright.
Aquarius, I wonder if the references to the wedding revenue and the York princesses might be in response to direct questions from the Fail’s lawyers? I would imagine her lawyers are being careful now about what they include in the filings.
The Yorks and Michael of Kent have HRH status which means they are Prince/Princess. They have no royal duties and they do paid work. Harry was effectively deprived of HRH status on the grounds that he would have no royal duties and would be seeking paid work. Meghan is pointing out the inconsistencies. I am sure these points are in response to questions but they also reflect the attitude of senior royals and their advisors.
Prince Michael of Kent married a divorced foreign-born woman. She became HRH Princess Michael of Kent on marriage. Neither of them has any public role and they have always pursued paid work. Prince Harry married a divorced foreign-born woman who became HRH on marriage. It is reasonable to ask why the Sussexes should effectively lose HRH status simply for stepping back from a public role and pursuing paid work. If it is argued that the Sussexes have a much higher public profile than the Kents and are more closely connected with those royals who have a public role, then the York Princesses can be used as comparison. Despite having no official role the York sisters have a high public profile and are closely connected with the public face of royalty. They both do paid work. Beatrice in particular uses her HRH status for business purposes.
It keeps coming back to racism. Harry married a woman of African-American descent and this is why he and his wife are being treated less favourably by the Palace and by the tabloid press.
I might attempt to make these points in the dailymail comments.
Sophie and Edward continued their “non royal” work for a few years after they married. Eventually they stepped down but they were permitted to use the HRH during the time they had outside jobs.
Kensington Palace told Meghan that neither she nor her friends or family could comment on the false stories. KP (and by KP I mean Will and Kate) then proceed to cosign/leak continual negative press about her, knowing her hands were tied, in order to distract from the Rose Hanbury affair allegations. If Meghan were my friend I would be so angry I would go anonymously to a news outlet and defend her too. Her friends are not British citizens, not under the thumb of Will and Kate and can’t be silenced. Not telling Meghan was their gift to her. They probably thought it was akin to throwing her a surprise defense party or throwing crates of tea overboard into the harbor.
The royal family is trash and were perfectly willing to let Meghan be hunted and lied about to cover for wandering Wills. They treated her and Harry so shabbily- of course it was in their interest to leave,
I am laughing so hard at that amazing image of her friends’ revolt! I do believe she didn’t know. Of course she would complain to her friends and they would see the insane harassment and racism she was facing and the stress she was facing while pregnant and want to defend her. Many of her friends are rich and powerful, they probably were eager to help her in a way they thought would give her plausible deniability.
P.s. Now picturing Serena throwing tea bags into a harbour of some sort.
Remember when the article came out and Serena posted a gif herself coyly drinking tea? (smile)
Ok, but when Meghan spoke to Gayle King, this website asserted that there was NO WAY her friends would have spoken to the press without her explicit direction. She RAN her own communications office. That’s different.
This website does not have the inside track on what Meghan does or doesn’t do. It’s all speculation, nothing more. People can hope that she’s this strategist all they want, but at the end of the day, she seems to be someone who plays it straight and if told to not comment is likely to respect that. Her friends aren’t bound by the same directions and leaving her out of the loop might have been their gift to her.
That’s exactly what I think. They didn’t tell her because they knew she had been told not to defend herself and she would have told them not to talk to People. They felt strongly about defending her and they wanted her to have plausible deniability. They love her.
Why I’m not surprised by this that’s why the daily mail and all other tabloids were so aggressive towards Meghan . Because they knew Kensington Palace told her to stay quite I can’t believe that their still people who think William and Kate are innocent They directors their courtiers to help smeared Meghan while she was pregnant they didn’t care if something happen to her or Archie . It’s amazing how one article about kate And Kensington palace is rushing to defend her and threatened a legal action but those tabloids harassed abuse and smeared Meghan on everyday relentlessly for three years straight without not one peep for the royal family or palace to back off .
The Fail is awful. But so is her dad. I still can’t fathom a father doing this to his daughter…
Sometimes I wonder, if he was to die, would M go to his funeral? You can bet either way she’ll get slammed — if she goes, she’s a heartless bitch who shunned him in life and is trying to make (or fake) amends too late. If she doesn’t go, she’s a heartless bitch who’s so cold, she doesn’t even care about her own father.
Poor Meg. I am so glad they’re out.
Also, eff the Fail with the burning hatred of a thousand fiery suns. I hope they get their comeuppance soon.
This all comes back to William, Kate and Cariole Middleton. KP was behind this whole thing so yes they’re not gonna protect Meghan. They silenced her. That is why Harry and Meghan broke away and moved their offices to BP. BP allowed them to issue a rebuttal to the move to Africa story and keep the birth of Archie private. Yet in the end BP failed to protect them too as the abuse continued. I wonder if the Flybe stunt was the last straw for Harry and he started making plans to leave. When an heir to the throne is out to get you you have no recourse in the British Monarchy.
Man, if I was Harry I would’ve kicked William’s horse teeth in before I got on that plane to LA. What he did was unforgivable.
I think Harry had planned to leave or at least seriously thought about it when Meg got pregnant. And then Archie was born and that horrendous chimp photo was published, Harry saw that no one in his family spoke out and thought “yep, we’re out of here”. I am still shocked and appalled that not one member of his family said anything about that photo, even indirectly and we all know that they have ways of signaling their displeasure or support without coming right out and saying it. For me it was the nail on the coffin of my respect for any member of that family.
@Harla: I totally agree. It infuriates me when fence sitters like Victoria Arbiter say, “you don’t know if they weren’t supported” implying that behind closed doors, there was family support. Because if any of the top royals had wanted to support her genuinely they would have done it with their chests out! There was NEVER any push from the palace when Wooton and R. Palmer tweeted or spouted on radio that NO ONE IN THE ROYAL FAMILY was supporting the Sussexes. They were unrefuted when they claimed Charles & William had distanced themselves. Harry lurks in social media and I know he saw that mess. Nothing was ever said. Not one word. So yeah. Harry decided to honor his vow to protect his wife and they left.
Completely ended any and all respect for Charles I might have had. Again I reiterate, the only decent members of that family are the American branch.
Absolutely agree, Harla. Seeing the public nonreaction of his family to that chimp photo seems likely to be what sealed the deal. It certainly showed that the BRF was NEVER going to defend Meghan or Archie.
William and Kate even used their small children in the PR photo op on Flybe. The tykes running after them and Kate holding Louis and william taking out the luggage (as if he does that all the time). It was obvious and embarrassing. Even using children who don’t know any better.
Let’s not forget that William and Kate have yet to demand that Gary Janetti cease and desist using their sons image for his vile posts. There is no way that they don’t know about Gary’s sick and twisted use of their son but for some reason they seem to have no issue with it.
Their people will put out statements about botox, weaves, and a trashy article filled mostly with gossip that’s been around since Kate runway-walked her way onto the scene, but not a peep about Janetti’s nasty posts turning George into some Stewie-like character and mocking Charlotte about her weight. Even if they didn’t give a fig about Meghan, you’d think they wouldn’t want their young children used in that way. These people are bizarre.
Per Janetti, George is gay and the Cambridges did not even lash out at him for that. W & K are just so keen to have Meghan trashed that they don’t mind if their kids are collateral damage.
What struck out to me the most, among all the sh!t Meghan was supposed to eat, was that she sent the letter through her “trusted business manager” and not Kensington Palace’s Team. She knew they would sell her out. She already had their number. This is why they bailed – she was unprotected, and Archie would be, too.
Daily Mail is trash for using her answers to sell their papers, but trash is going to trash.
I totally believe Meghan didn’t know her friends were going to People. The people who love her would want to fight for her, and if M&H were being handcuffed by the RF from defending her, then yes…her friends would come out swinging. As we have said, American celebs don’t owe the BRF one bit of loyal. We fought a war over that thing. The People article proved M&H don’t need the RR or the BRF for anything. They have powerful friends and connections that will fight for them.
I’m sure the BRF is scrambling from this latest revel. The curtain has been pulled back and the ugliness of the BRF is being shown. They have no problem defending Andrew, Kate, and William, but will throw the newly married in, pregnant, biracial duchess under the bus. Not only under the bus, but driving the bus as well. No wonder Harry is done with the lot.
I am a Meg-stan, but the People article is a valid defense. Meg’s case is that she had a right to privacy from the press regarding the letter. Her claim is undermined if she knew/organized/approved of her friends speaking about the letter to the press before The Mail published the letter. Again, big fan of Meg, but I do think this lawsuit has ulterior motives, like the ability to publicly slam the Firm for not protecting her. That being said, the Firm and the Daily Fail deserve to get dragged!
No, even if Meghan had approved her friends speaking to People? She still owns the copyright to her own letter, nothing changes that. The big point of the lawsuit is breech of copyright, and that the Fail published excerpts out of context to twist the narrative. The Fail that set-up-and-paid her sperm donor to attack her publicly for years.
That’s a different claim, though. She has two claims, one is copyright infringement and the other is invasion of privacy. The People magazine article is relevant to the invasion of privacy claim as Meghan says above.
Again, she’s already stated she wasn’t part of that. No door has been opened, it is merely the Fail trying to use the court to get the names of her friends who independently defended her. Just like tabloids pitched a fit and invaded the privacy of the doctor who delivered their son.
https://twitter.com/WajahatAli/status/1278555571499732994
“One day, hopefully soon, we will realize how the Murdochs were one of the most destructive forces for Western democracy. The damage the right-wing media ecosystem has done can now be calculated in lives lost due to disinformation, conspiracy theories, and fear-mongering.”
Amen and Amen! Rupert Murdoch and his media empire have done damage to democracies all over the world, as well as making the lives of individuals miserable. I would love it if someone could tear that conglomerate apart.
So the Fail keeps asking the same questions in different ways, just to create more hay about Meghan. When is the judge in this case going to grow a pair and tell them to knock it off?
The judge in this case used to work for a british tabloid.
If I were Meghan and Harry, I would go all scorched earth on them.
But then, I’m the vindictive sort anyway. Clearly they are far and away better folk than me.
Meghan says she didn’t ask her friends to speak with People Magazine and I believe her. Meghan says she didn’t go to People Magazine and approve their article and I believe her.
I believe Meghan. If I were Meghan’s friend, and I know, she might stop me because of the gag order, I will not tell her, also to protect Meghan, I will go ahead and defend her , without telling her. I can see how the DM, is using the court case to mine for stories for its livelihoid, because they have no scoops. I hope the judge is taking note. KP Communication gags her, but go around leaking to the newspapers, including lies, and yet you are not allowed to defend yourself.
It just strikes me as so unethical (I know — it’s the Fail so what do you expect) for a newspaper to publish biased claims in “news articles” (?) about a current lawsuit against itself. The conflict of interest is so glaringly obvious. I know, the tabloids have no ethics, but don’t their readers realize, or their editors, that this is wrong? It just goes to show I guess, how insulated and untouchable they must feel.
How does Thomas Markle honestly feel creating all this? Is all the charade and circus worth it? Such huge betrayal is unforgivable I’m sorry. No apology in the world would be enough to compensate Meghan’s pain. I’m even in pain and unfortunately I don’t see this ending anytime soon. I’ve had sleepless nights on some nights thinking about Meghan Harry and Archie wandering if they’re ok and receiving any support.Sorry I’m quite an emotional wreck , I feel and absorb the pain of others sometimes.
That’s a hell of a curse.
And we know it’s not a lie because the BRF have never issued one statement of support or refute. Not one. This is why Harry left. Nonsense family. Harry will build his own family now. And you’d better not cut his damn security allowance Charles. It’s the least you owe!
Has the BM still been interviewing/quoting the trashy Markles? I haven’t seen anything from them (which has been great) but the Markles must miss the money & attention. Has that revenue stream dried up? Also, I bet Daddy Markle has another “heart attack” (I don’t believe he had a first one) if compelled to testify and the BM & evil Samantha will blame Meghan for it.
I’m definitely not advocating for the guy, but he certainly looks like he would be at risk of a heart attack.
This is actually a huge thing as we got a clear message from Meghan that not only was she isolated she was also denied the right to defend herself as was her family and friends+the documents hint that misinformation was shared by palace meaning that KP/Courtiers were leaking damaging stories
@GINGER the byline reports and Twitter posts about Christian Jones are still there! But I agree with you that they are awfully quiet since they posted that.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bylineinvestigates.com/murdoch/royal-exclusive-prince-harrys-legal-move-over-cash-for-briefings-claims-at-the-sun-the-story-murdoch-tried-to-bury%3fformat=amp
These revelations about Meghan’s mistreatment by the RF and the media are getting more reprehensible by the minute. It’s so upsetting that they would do this to anyone, let alone a pregnant woman. Shameful. You couldn’t pay me enough money to be in that warped family.
All of these MF’s need to go, from the Elizabeth all the way down. The monarchy is an archaic, racist symbol that should be done away with.
Probably when Megan met William she is a strong black woman she read his ass and knew what he was all about and she probably told Harry and that is why Will its mad. William and Kate are a piece of lazy ass shit I just SawHarry’s video they are doing their work here in the United States and not making a big deal about it. So far all you Megan haters kiss her ass.
Kaiser, thank you for getting to the real issue here; Thomas Sr lied on every British press platform he could for months claiming that Meghan refused to talk to him when she called and texted him multiple times and wrote this letter. What’s so horrific about this filing is that it makes clear that KP knew all along that he was lying because Meghan told them about the letter and they not only refused to put a statement out denying they also refused to let anyone close to her defend her from his lies which is what pushed her friends to go to People.
I don’t know how they sleep at night tbh. To let a pregnant woman be abused and smeared when you a) know the truth and b) have the ability to set the record straight is disgusting. Honest to God I hope Harry never brings Archie back to that island.
They refused her any possibility of a public defense either from herself or her friends at the same time a prominent KP employee’s boyfriend sold private information about her and Harry to The Sun! Information that he could only have gotten from his boyfriend. KP briefed the press against her whilst denying her the opportunity to defend herself!
What happened with byline? Why so silent?
Byline’s focus is crime (like phone-hacking) and malfeasance (like corruption), not gossip. Also, they just published another article about the Sun’s unlawful gathering of information on the DoS and as well as the Dallas police officers who were killed.
What happened with byline? Why did they stop reporting on Harry’s lawsuit?
See #38 above, MM/Meg.
The stupidity of the Daily Mail and other tabs show how desperate they need to stay in business by mentioning this lawsuit-they need to print anything Meghan for their vile racist spewing readers or commenters. If the Sussexes are so illrevalent why write about them using a lawsuit to keep their names in the news to sell papers. This constant writing about a couple most Brits say are illrelevant-send an evil snapshot of British society. Let the lawyers do the talking. People are seeing the British white society in a different light. I once thought the Uk was more an enlightened people-but never will I make this mistake in my thinking again. I would give anything to see the BLM protesters go to these tabloids and raise hell about smearing a black-biracial woman constantly while saying they are not racist. The Sussexes have left the UK and you still write about them-something is off balance with the people of the UK-Worry about Prince Andrew and the extreme damage he has actually done to real people. A black rapper said this about the white people Of the UK right after the couple left. He could explain their mindsets to the world. Please someone interview him.
Ghislane Maxwell has been arrested. Prince Andrew is going to be justifiably dragged again with her arrest, as there’s a mounting pressure for him to speak to the FBI. This talk about Meghan’s claim that she’s unsupported by the Royal Family is just a case of wagging the dog. Andrew’s questionable alliance with Maxwell and Epstein is the more damaging issue here. Maxwell’s arrest brings the spotlight back on Andrew. The British media finds Meghan’s claim a diversion from a more impactful and damaging issue which is Andrew’s unlawful sexual predatory behavior.
And as usual the Royal Family, to protect Andrew, has Meghan as its scapegoat with the British media the willing executioner. So there’s really truth to her claim that she was unsupported by the Royal Family. Up to this very day they don’t support her because, deep inside of them, they never recognized her as one of them. Good she left them. And with PHarry to boot. Take that !