Harry & Meghan: Legal Actions against the Media


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The outside forces are trying to make it seem like The Queen and Prince Charles was blindsided by the Sussexes statement and legal action, but I really don’t think that’s the real case. They very likely knew this case was being built. The royals are a family and they do talk to each other. They know about the massive smear campaign that was launched against Meghan. They read the papers. Their officials inform them on what’s going on. Their heads aren’t buried in the sand.

I think they will win this case.
 
Dman said:
The outside forces are trying to make it seem like The Queen and Prince Charles was blindsided by the Sussexes statement and legal action, but I really don’t think that’s the real case. They very likely knew this case was being built. The royals are a family and they do talk to each other. They know about the massive smear campaign that was launched against Meghan. They read the papers. Their officials inform them on what’s going on. Their heads aren’t buried in the sand.

I think they will win this case.
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My understanding is that they knew about the lawsuit but NOT about Harry's statement, allegedly. That IMO is likely true given that this statement was not released through official BRF channels. I am a bit worried by the bit in Low's reporting that Harry did not listen to the advice of his staff and the staff was upset. Could just be Low being dramatic. He does rather strongly dislike Harry.
 
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Dman said:
The outside forces are trying to make it seem like The Queen and Prince Charles was blindsided by the Sussexes statement and legal action, but I really don’t think that’s the real case. They very likely knew this case was being built. The royals are a family and they do talk to each other. They know about the massive smear campaign that was launched against Meghan. They read the papers. Their officials inform them on what’s going on. Their heads aren’t buried in the sand.

I think they will win this case.
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Those "outside forces" are going to have a field day with this lawsuit no matter what. Its what they do. Its how they make their money. What they are doing is perfect legal as they're expressing their opinion on how things are and the facts really don't come into play at all.

The lawsuit, on the other hand, has tangible words that were written by Meghan, herself, which were not represented as written when they were published by one specific branch of the "outside forces". Meghan's words are just as tangible as those photographs taken of Kate and published. This is why H/M have a legal case and are pursuing legal action.

As far as the Queen and Charles being notified, backing the Sussexes up or if and when they were informed doesn't matter. Those people are not involved in the litigation. The "Firm" itself is not involved. I'm sure there are a few Windsor family dogs that may like to take a bite out the the MoS's lawyers but that's not going to happen either. This is a personal matter between Harry, Meghan and the Mail on Sunday and it'll be those involved and their lawyers that are going to duke this thing out in court.

What I've seen too is that with the announcement of this court case, its opened the floodgates to rehashing everything and anything Meghan has gone through since Day 1 I think its a dangerous road to go down as I remember all too well how easily these threads were closed because of it all. There is one lawsuit pending against one publication and its parent business. Its what we should be focusing on rather than rehashing each and every other instance of bullying by anyone else.

I think they're going to win this case too and perhaps it will send a message to those that persist in bullying this couple that they could be next.
 
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Zaira said:
... I expect, unfortunately, this lawsuit will bring Thomas Sr out of whatever hole he is currently hiding in. The DM may even call him as a witness should it go to trial just to cause further pain to Meghan.

All in all, as Harry himself said, this wasn't the safest action even if it was the right one. :sad:
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This battle is against irresponsible factions of the media. And let's please keep in mind that Meghan's family was relentlessly harassed and bribed. That some people are weak and easily susceptible to being taken in by such tactics is what it is. The Sussexes are relying on their own sense of decency, on their admirable strength of courage to fight against injustice, and on the legal advice of their attorneys.

I do not plan to openly speculate about what's going to happen, much less do I know anything about Meghan's capacity to endure emotional pain. What I do know is that she's carried herself with dignity and extraordinary grace. And from all evidence, I can see that she's a kind, strong, tough, intelligent young woman, who was raised by kind, tough, independent women. HRH The Duchess of Sussex comes from a line of strong black matriarchs.

"Always remember that the queen in the Creator's kingdom, who sits on the throne of all existence ... is the Divine Mother." -- Suzy Kassem in Rise Up and Salute the Sun
 
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Are we really going to start linking each and every media article in relation to this lawsuit? Is it a necessity? Or should we actually just focus here on the lawsuit itself? I'm just remembering our moderators setting into motion that the media is now no longer a topic of discussion.

I don't like seeing links specifically drawing attention to various articles and opinions published nor do I think there's really any use in speculating on the internal machinations within the British royal family itself. Rehashing old articles and old mudslinging and speculating on various interactions that may or may not have happened, to me, will be what gets this thread closed and leave us with no where to discuss the actual court case as it develops.

We *know* that there are going to be articles and opinions published all over the place in multitudes and I think we all know how to look for them should we choose to. I just don't see the purpose whatsoever in actually spreading these articles and opinions here. Its like we're aiding and abetting the media with their propaganda machine to make the most out of this situation.

This is just my opinion and what I'm seeing here. I believe we should just stick to information that is credible and in relation to the topic. The legal action against the Mail on Sunday.

Thanks for hearing me out. ?
 
Heavs said:
What was she supposed to do? It was 48 hours or less before her wedding and he was telling TMZ his plans, which changed almost daily, but not picking up the phone to her to talk it though - by his own admission. The announcement said Prince Charles had been asked to step in and was delighted and they wished her father well and hoped to see him after the wedding.

We know from the letter she was trying to sort things out privately but he sold her out again for money with that and details of private conversations he'd had with Harry etc. The public didn't need to be given official updates of them trying to mend their relationship and Thomas Markle ensured it stayed broken by his own actions.
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To be fair to her father he didn't say anything until some time after the wedding when she still hadn't bothered to visit him and it became clear she wasn't going to. Most children would have gone to visit a sick parent ASAP after the wedding. If her gripe was him getting those pics taken then it was a weak excuse to cut a man who had cared for her and raised her out of her life forever. Lets not forget that the royals themselves have not been strangers to tipping off photographers when it's suited them either and in his case he really was new to the situation. As I said before though I think a lot of the details about this will come out in court.
 
I agree - I stopped linking the DM for example in this matter, because it only polarizes and the thread will be closed. Hopefully there is a middle ground possible. Many posters, including me, think that part of this whole mess is self inflicted and part of it inflicted by a media that is relentless in making money without any ethics. Very often linking articles will only bring black/white opinions what does not help the cause.
 
Rudolph said:
I find it interesting the MoS have decided to not settle this ‘out of court’ and instead will defend itself vigorously.

But I agree it won’t do anything to reduce the negative coverage but probably just add more fuel to the fire.
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Oh, I'm not sure it was the paper who decided to not settle out of court but maybe Meghan & Harry want to see this through.
 
Kataryn said:
Oh, I'm not sure it was the paper who decided to not settle out of court but maybe Meghan & Harry want to see this through.
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Harry's law firm has confirmed this:
"Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda”.


And it makes sense, the paper would never go down without a fight creating so many headlines.
 
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Duke of Marmalade said:
Harry's law firm has confirmed this:
"Given the refusal of Associated Newspapers to resolve this issue satisfactorily, we have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda”.
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My interpretation of that statement is that it doesn't necessarily mean that MoS didn't want to settle out of court but that they couldn't agree on how to solve the issue in a manner that both parties could agree on.
 
Making the argument that the Markles were bribed does not help gain them sympathy, not when Meghan's mother kept quiet. Unless the paternal family was threaten they are not victims here.

I still think Sr will be called to testify. I remember when Lettergate broke and MSNBC went to him directly over this and he told the reporter go ask the Daily Mail. Why couldn't he explain himself, he sold the letter to the paper.
 
One simple question: what correspondence?
 
After reading and analyzing what has been happening, a couple of points, basically reading between the lines

Harry has been bothered or upset by what he perceives to be attack on his wife, and clearly aware of what has been going on in the social media sphere, and he believe the clickbait positioning of the media in general, and the tabloids in particular are egging the attacks (aiding and abetting). though we have been told that Meghan does not read anything, it is common knowledge that Harry read everything. He is hurting and his pain is palpable throughout his statement. He is talking about daily vicious attacks, lies, etc that has been going on for 9 months. Basically like many have noticed here since right after the Australia/Asia Tour and the announcement of her pregnancy.
 
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:previous:

It does seem like so much of what’s been going on behind the scenes is now being revealed. Harry’s very strong-worded statement spoke volumes. As I’ve said before, something had to give.
 
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I'm trying to remember and perhaps someone here does remember if Buckingham Palace issued a statement when either the Cambridges or Charles filed their lawsuits. As I see it, this lawsuit is a personal matter between Harry and Meghan and the Mail on Sunday and there's no need for statements to come from anyone else.
 
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In my opinion, the Sussexes would have been much better off to bring the lawsuit without publishing Harry's highly emotional letter. The merits of the lawsuit stand on their own, and the details about the letter Meghan wrote, Meghan's father, and their relationship are already likely to result in much more attention, discussion, press coverage, and muck raking than anyone would want to have to deal with. Harry's letter just adds more grist to the mill, and results in lots of unnecessary speculation, as we have seen on this thread.

The capper is that it is likely to fuel even more critical and speculative coverage in the press, and the timing altered the trajectory of the overall positive coverage of the SA tour in a way that pretty effectively killed the momentum the last day and a half of the tour. The letter and its publication is making me question Harry's judgment a bit.

edited for clarity
 
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I don’t think the statement from Harry killed the momentum of the tour at all. The whole tour was a total success. The truth is— the momentum of the tour was going to pretty much end on the last day. Just as soon as the couple arrived back home the attacks was going to resume by some of the forces that accompanied the Sussexes on the tour. That’s the sad part.
 
:previous: What better time then to be able to show and amplify the double standards that Harry has pointed out? I don't actually believe it was up to Harry and Meghan to decide just when to release Harry's statement but were advised by their lawyers. One to amplify the point I've just made and another point is getting the word out first before the MoS, themselves, let fly with the information about the lawsuit. Perhaps the purpose of Harry's statement was along the lines of a "I'd rather you hear it from me first"perspective.

I actually applaud Harry for the emotional statement that he's made. It reads and sounds like it came from the heart rather than worded as an "official notice" to the public. ?
 
Zaira said:
Some missing facts though, ACO. Meghan's dad and mother released a joint statement for the engagement through KP. KP confirmed that he would be walking her down the aisle early on (but the media loved the drama of doing the will he or won't he, again deciding that settled fact didn't fit their agenda). Meghan has credited her father with a great deal and talked about him articles and interviews. Moreover, her first initial statement when all the wedding drama hit was very, very emotional. Her second statement, what you referenced, was more distant.

Now, I personally think they had a very on/off relationship fraught with difficulties. I tend to think Thomas was perhaps not always the best dad emotionally from tidbits we have gleaned and perhaps even played the siblings off each other. I have detailed my thoughts about their relationship on threads before and I am wary about what the moderating boundaries are on discussing him in this thread. But at the time of the engagement, they seemed to be "on" and Thomas must have been on a prolonged period of decent behavior. Alas, it didn't last.

Valentine Low's article in the Times (an article that lays out a lot of information but somehow comes to some puzzling conclusions) heavily implies that Meghan and Harry blame the media for her father's antics, not her father necessarily. Low claims that reporters literally rented the houses next to Thomas and found ways to manipulate him and continued to do so for months---despite the pleas and actions taken by Harry and Meghan to stop the press. This lawsuit is really in response to the lines the media crossed with using Markle Sr that upset Meghan and Harry.

I expect, unfortunately, this lawsuit will bring Thomas Sr out of whatever hole he is currently hiding in. The DM may even call him as a witness should it go to trial just to cause further pain to Meghan.

All in all, as Harry himself said, this wasn't the safest action even if it was the right one :(
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Not much missing IMHO. I know about the joint statement but as many children of divorced or fractured families know, that doesn't mean he actually issued it. Adding him to it isn't very hard. And Thomas himself has implied more than once he was barely involved. He has went on record and claimed he wasn't even invited when we know he was because he also confirmed it.

I agree Meghan spoke of her father in glowing terms about her childhood. She admired him and based on how his other kids treat Meghan it seems he favored her over them until she was old enough to maybe see him in a different light. We have footage of her right before heading off to college confirming their relationship was strained. The ex BFF who sold everything under the sun about them said it as well. Meghan called herself an only child. None of the Markles are close. They are all estranged with each other in some way. This family has been damaged a long time.

I do think the with the magnitude of the wedding that she was trying to keep everything simple and hoped Thomas would be decent enough to be a father to her on the biggest day of her life and instead he did what he did. The TMZ communications. The ignoring her by his own words. I mentioned this before but we all had access to her public social media accounts. Where was Thomas Markle on them? He clearly wasn't that active in her life.

People thought he was some recluse but he clearly has no issue with the spotlight whatsoever. How many interviews has this man done? As for Valentine's article... we shall see. I do suspect this will get messy and Thomas might come out the woodwork. Though I get the feeling that it will not serve him or The Mail on Sunday well as he tends to put his foot in his mouth each time he speaks.

This all is happening because he sent them a personal ad private letter to clear his name because he claimed that he hasn't had any contact with Meghan. All that letter did was prove how much this man has lied over and over again. He created this mess and I am sure there is more to come.
 
Osipi said:
:previous: What better time then to be able to show and amplify the double standards that Harry has pointed out? I don't actually believe it was up to Harry and Meghan to decide just when to release Harry's statement but were advised by their lawyers. One to amplify the point I've just made and another point is getting the word out first before the MoS, themselves, let fly with the information about the lawsuit. Perhaps the purpose of Harry's statement was along the lines of a "I'd rather you hear it from me first"perspective.

I actually applaud Harry for the emotional statement that he's made. It reads and sounds like it came from the heart rather than worded as an "official notice" to the public. ?
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There is a difference between the release of the statement about the pending lawsuit, and Harry's personal letter. The release of the statement about the lawsuit was apparently done when it was due to a deadline. That is not the issue. The issue I am pointing out is Harry's letter. My opinion is that it would have been better if the official notification of the lawsuit had stood on its own without Harry's letter. I don't think it did much but stimulate a lot of speculation, especially since he dragged in Diana, Meghan's pregnancy, and a lot of very emotional language. I'm not saying he's not entitled to feel all of those things. I just don't think the timing or the overly emotional tone was a good idea.
 
Ista said:
There is a difference between the release of the statement about the pending lawsuit, and Harry's personal letter. The release of the statement about the lawsuit was apparently done when it was due to a deadline. That is not the issue. The issue I am pointing out is Harry's letter. My opinion is that it would have been better if the official notification of the lawsuit had stood on its own without Harry's letter. I don't think it did much but stimulate a lot of speculation, especially since he dragged in Diana, Meghan's pregnancy, and a lot of very emotional language. I'm not saying he's not entitled to feel all of those things. I just don't think the timing or the overly emotional tone was a good idea.
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I think the counter to that, though, is that it gave the public an emotional connection to the issue. I've seen a LOT of people applauding Harry for sticking up for his wife with that statement.

I think we need to always be aware that there are those of us in the royal watcher bubble who see things in a certain way because we are so entrenched in this understanding, but that doesn't equal what may work with the general public. A lot of people feel the media in the UK, specifically, the tabloid press, have gotten out of control over all. And there is polling and anecdotal evidence to show that many in the general public in the UK felt Meghan's treatment by the press was wrong and unfair.

Harry's statement, timing being ill-advised as I think it may have been, put a very human face on the issue that a lot of people can connect with and I believe did. I perhaps would have changed some wording and such, but people also respect and respond to authentic emotion more too.

The press, of course, will run with their belief that the statement was "not the done thing" but well they have a clear agenda too.
 
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sophie25 said:
To be fair to her father he didn't say anything until some time after the wedding when she still hadn't bothered to visit him and it became clear she wasn't going to. Most children would have gone to visit a sick parent ASAP after the wedding. If her gripe was him getting those pics taken then it was a weak excuse to cut a man who had cared for her and raised her out of her life forever. Lets not forget that the royals themselves have not been strangers to tipping off photographers when it's suited them either and in his case he really was new to the situation. As I said before though I think a lot of the details about this will come out in court.
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It was exactly one month after the wedding that Thomas gave a paid interview with GMB, this after they forgave him for the pre-wedding media colluding. Who knows if they had contact during that month because Thomas, the only one talking keeps changing his story.

At first he said they offered to come visit him and he said no, he also said that he didn't answer Meghan's calls/texts right away then in subsequent interviews said that they hadn't reached out to him since the wedding, when in fact Meghan had sent a letter in August outlining what would need to be done to help repair the relationship...he even responded but continued on in interviews saying that he had no communication with her. He also said at first he was offered help and that they sent someone to help him get to London and then later he said he was offered no help at all.

I don't think it was the one set of pictures alone that caused him to be cut off but the continued interviews after he apologized for the original mistake (the other media interactions were definitely not a mistake) and then often lying about them that caused the long term rift.

It all boils down to the fact that they can't trust him, anything they say or do with him and he will go to the media, who would want that behavior in their lives which are already complicated enough.

As for the court case, I'm guessing that Thomas, if called on to testify, will have another heart problem that will prevent him from going or being interviewed until the case is over.
 
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Ista said:
There is a difference between the release of the statement about the pending lawsuit, and Harry's personal letter. The release of the statement about the lawsuit was apparently done when it was due to a deadline. That is not the issue. The issue I am pointing out is Harry's letter. My opinion is that it would have been better if the official notification of the lawsuit had stood on its own without Harry's letter. I don't think it did much but stimulate a lot of speculation, especially since he dragged in Diana, Meghan's pregnancy, and a lot of very emotional language. I'm not saying he's not entitled to feel all of those things. I just don't think the timing or the overly emotional tone was a good idea.
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Well, Harry had to take a extremely serious tone in his statement. The outside forces think they can kick Meghan around for months on end and get away with it. Harry stepped in and made very clear...that ain’t gonna happen. He won’t let it happen. They didn’t get the point in the first statement, so it was a must for him to release another statement and it was done with the lawsuit. So those forces noses are out of joint because Harry knocked them that way.

Harry is just one step away from literally cussing a lot of folks out. That’ll be in the third statement, if this craziness continues. I’m just giving everyone on the forums a heads up before it happens.
 
XeniaCasaraghi said:
@HighDreamsHighGoals
I agree I also cringed a little when he brought up Diana. I feel what is going on with Meghan and what happened to Kate (in France) can stand on their own without having to mention Diana. WnH probably do take these things more serious because of their mom but Everytime they push back against the press they don't need to drop Diana's name. This newest pushback from Harry makes me think the stories of both WnH being overprotective were not exaggerated.
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I don't mind them bringing up Diana because it is clear the media hasn't truly learned from that situation and is still hounding royal wives to a determent, especially Meghan. While they aren't chasing her in cars there are still a lot of parallels, they are still writing vitriol stories (often based on untruths or half-truths) as a way to turn the public against Meghan. That is a very dangerous thing to do.

I'm also in support of the lawsuit and the letter Harry wrote and even the time (it is ALWAYS the right time to stand up against bullying). The letter gives some background information as to what they have been facing for the past year and explains exactly why they are taking the actions they are.
 
it is funny some here are toeing the media line about bring Diana into it. For Christ sake she was his mother, and if there are people in this world who saw first hand what she went through it is her children. Right now, he also has a front row seat to witness what his wife is going through. If there are people qualify to draw comparaison it is he, and if he feel the need to do it, he has he raisons so be it.
 
I hope Harry has carefully assessed the likelehood of winning and the risks involved if not successful. Also there might be risks about appearing in court - this might incude Thomas Markle?
 
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