While the impending Johnny Depp and Amber Heard court case has been the lawsuit to watch in the U.S., on the other side of the pond, Meghan Markle is in the middle of her own lawsuit, this time against The Mail on Sunday and its publisher Associate Newspapers. While the lawsuit is most definitely in the works, it hasn’t gone to court yet, and as recently as a few days ago rumors alleged the Royal Family was hoping the case would not ever go to court. Now, it turns out they aren't the only ones.
In fact, news broke this week indicating that Meghan Markle’s own lawyers have filed a request for a “summary judgment.” If the request is granted, then the case would not go to trial. This is not the outcome the other party involved in the lawsuit is requesting. According to reports, the Associated Newspaper’s lawyer Antony White QC has said that some of the evidence related to the suit--included a reported letter from Thomas Markled with muddied origins-- “factually cries out for investigation at trial,” per Sky News.
But what is perhaps most interesting about the existence of this summary judgment request, which was already heard during a two-day event recently in front of a judge, is it seems to be a rare occasion where Meghan Markle and the Royal Family seem to be on the same page. A Sunday Times article just a few weeks ago indicated that going to trial would not be great for the Palace.
Basically, at the time, it was mentioned that if the case does go to trial it would be “deeply uncomfortable for the institution,” noting that all of the ways the palace works would be exposed in a lengthy trial. The argument is that first, Meghan Markle (and probably Prince Harry) would be front and center for the length of the case. Then, we already know that at least the so-dubbed “Palace Four” staff have been listed as involved parties and staff could be asked to testify on the stand.
Finally, given the lawsuit is about the aforementioned outlet publishing parts of an alleged letter Meghan Markle reportedly sent her father Thomas Markle, more of those family dynamics could be dredged up. The case in question came about after five snippets from a letter with allegedly private origins were published, with two in the Mail on Sunday and three articles published in the Mail Online. Members of the staff were reportedly involved in drafting the letter to Thomas Markle, and the Associated Newspapers is alleging on its end that the letter was part of a media strategy from Meghan Markle herself.
The biography Finding Freedom is also listed as a component of the suit, as the newspaper group also believes Markle may have contributed directly (or perhaps indirectly) to the information in that published work.
With all this in mind, not going to trial would theoretically be a boon to Meghan Markle and her husband Prince Harry as the two work to move into new careers that will include creating Netflix content and more. The two already successfully sued over paparazzi photos in a legal battle that was worked out in December via a settlement agreement. A judgment over whether or not a “summary judgment” will happen is expected at a later date.
