Meghan ‘extensively helped’ with glowing biography, court told
The Duchess of Sussex allegedly helped the writers acquire ‘a great deal of detailed information’ about her private life with Prince Harry.
The claims were made during her privacy battle against The Mail on Sunday.
Meghan’s lawyers confirmed yesterday she expects to take the witness stand at the Royal Courts of Justice in person.
A ten-day trial is due to start on January 11. Seven witnesses are expected to be called, four for the duchess and three for The Mail on Sunday. Meghan, 39, is suing the newspaper, saying it breached her privacy by publishing a letter to her father, Thomas Markle, which contained her ‘deepest and most private thoughts and feelings’.
But yesterday the newspaper’s lawyers said it was ‘difficult to see’ how she could complain about that, if she and Harry had helped with the flattering biography of them.
At a preliminary hearing, Antony White QC said in written submissions the biography ‘gives every appearance of having been written with their extensive co-operation’.
He added: ‘The book contains a great deal of detailed information about [Meghan’s] personal life, including a number of passages referring to her relationship and communications with her father, and a section referring to the letter which is at the heart of this case.’ Meghan and her team have consistently denied being involved in the writing of the biography, while the authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand insist their information came from friends and sources.
Justin Rushbrooke QC, for the duchess, said: ‘The claimant and her husband did not collaborate with the authors on the book, nor were they interviewed for it, nor did they provide photographs to the authors for the book.’
Mr Scobie has provided a witness statement in support of the duchess. In it, he denied interviewing Meghan or that she had authorised the book. He said that the two writers approached Kensington Palace, and the palace had introduced them to people ‘close to’ Meghan, who then gave them information about her and Harry.
Yesterday the newspaper’s lawyer said this appeared to confirm that Meghan’s staff had co-operated with the authors – who acquired some 36 direct quotes from the duchess for their book.
The paper wants to question Mr Scobie under oath to find out if Meghan spoke to him about the publication and contents of Finding Freedom. The newspaper claims Meghan’s co-operation with the biography – allegedly allowing her friends to talk to the authors – is similar to the way five of her friends briefed US magazine People. The newspaper’s defence is that Mr Markle, 76, only revealed the letter after Meghan’s friends had already done so, by mentioning it in the interview they gave to People. Mr Markle was entitled to set the record straight because they had mischaracterised the letter as a ‘loving’ missive, it was claimed.
Yesterday the newspaper said it would be seeking legal disclosure of WhatsApp and other messages between Meghan and the friends.
The duchess also discussed the letter with the Kensington Palace communications team before she sent it because she wanted to use it ‘as part of a media strategy’, it was claimed.
■ Legal costs in the case are predicted to soar above £3million. Meghan’s side has budgeted almost £1.8million. The Mail on Sunday has forecast its likely final costs at £1.2million.
The newspaper said the duchess’s lawyers planned to spend more than half-a-million pounds on ‘trial preparation’ alone.
It said this was disproportionate to the five-figure sum she might be awarded if she won the case. MEGHAN Markle has been accused of extensively ‘collaborating’ with the authors of royal biography Finding Freedom, the High Court heard yesterday.
‘Entitled to set the record straight’