FIGHTING BACK
The royals are risk of being dragged through the mud by the U.K. press - and they're not going to take it anymore
Royal insiders — including Princess Diana’s longtime butler — take Us inside Harry and Meghan’s quest to make sure tragic history doesn’t repeat itself.
The moment Meghan Markle was linked to Prince Harry in 2016, the attacks on her — about everything from her fashion choices to her biracial background — began. In the days and weeks leading up to what was supposed to be her fairytale wedding, U.K. outlets ran interviews with Markle’s estranged father, Thomas, making the former Suits actress out to be a heartless climber who’d callously turned her back on her family. In February 2019, The Mail
on Sunday published excerpts from a five-page handwritten letter Markle had sent her dad after her May 2018 nuptials, detailing her private anguish over his talking to the media. Markle, says a source, was “heartbroken” by the exposé.
The press eventually moved on — and it seemed Meghan and Harry did too. On May 6, they welcomed son Archie, and they went on a wellreceived royal tour of Africa in late September. But on Oct. 1, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a bombshell statement announcing they were suing Associated Newspapers (which owns
The Mail on Sunday) for misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the 2018 Data Protection Act for printing the note. Then on Oct. 4, it was revealed that Meghan, 38, and Harry, 35, were also suing the owners of The Sun and the
Daily Mirror for allegedly hacking Harry’s phone and illegally intercepting voice-mail messages.
“This isn’t about one negative story or incident,” a source tells Us. “It’s an accumulation, and Harry refuses to sit and do nothing as the British press scrutinizes Meghan and invades her privacy.” Their message is clear: “There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives,” the couple said in their statement. “Put simply, it is bullying… We won’t and can’t believe in a world where there is no accountability for this.”
MEGHAN’S HEARTACHE
The seasoned actress may know how to smile for the cameras, but according to the insider, she’s been privately breaking down. “Meghan comes across as a strong woman, but she’s been deeply affected by the negative stories about her,” says the source. “She’s devastated that her own father sold her out.”
Harry, on the other hand, is familiar with being a target and understands the toll the press can take on a person. His mother, Princess Diana, was also a victim of endless media scrutiny — in fact, on the night of her tragic death in August 1997, she’s believed to have been trying to evade ruthless paparazzi. “Harry grew up being hounded by the press,” says the source. “Diana couldn’t even take her boys on a ski trip without being swarmed by photographers, despite pleading with them to give her family some privacy,” Diana’s former butler,
Paul Burrell, tells Us in an exclusive interview. “Harry’s worried that the recent escalation of press
intrusion has an impact on his relationship with Meghan, as well as their relationship with the royal family and the public.”
TAKING A STAND
It was Harry’s idea to file the lawsuits, the insider says. In their statement, the couple said the process “has been many months in the making,” and Burrell says “fiery and straight-talking” Harry likely bypassed his team of advisers (including brother William and the queen) and went straight
to his lawyers. And while the queen “isn’t stopping Harry from moving forward, she’s concerned that the royal family will be dragged into it,” says the insider. (The suit against the Mail is being funded privately by Harry and Meghan, and their joint statement says any monetary damages awarded will be donated to an antibullying campaign.)
The royals’ giving evidence in court “would be deeply damaging to the institution of the monarchy,” says Burrell.
And Neama Rahmani, president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, tells Us the suits are a risky PR move: “It creates even more publicity for them, drags them into litigation and subjects them to disclosure of information and cross-examination.” Regardless, William “will be supportive,” says Burrell. “The brothers have vowed that no one will be allowed unwanted access to those they love,” he says.
STICKING TOGETHER
It doesn’t much matter to Harry and Meghan who’s in their corner. “They’ve made it clear that they wish to live their lives their own way,” says Burrell. “They make their own decisions as a family and let very few people into their inner circle.” Now, living away from Kensington Palace at Frogmore Cottage, the couple “have become somewhat detached from the royal court,” he says, adding that they may step even further away from their royal duties as the case plays out. Harry wants to protect his wife and child at all costs.
“Meghan sacrificed her life in L.A. to move to London for Harry, so he feels an extreme amount of pressure to keep her safe,” says the insider. And he’s no longer willing to stay quiet. “Harry believes his wife has become a victim of the press, like his mother. He’s not prepared to sit back and watch it happen all over again,” says Burrell, adding, “Harry and Meghan want to have a voice, and they’re willing to put up a fight.”