opinion
Meek admission
Meghan’s lawsuit turns into a disaster – and she is complicit
Duchess Meghan is under pressure: she had to admit in court that she did not share information
© Kristin Callahan / Everett Collection // Picture Alliance
No more intruding into your privacy: Duchess Meghan has set herself a noble goal with her lawsuit against one of the largest publishers in England. But on the way she stumbles – through her own fault.
What did she think she was doing? The Duchess of Sussex, a native of Meghan Markle, had to meekly admit a few hours ago that she did not give all the information to the Court of Appeal in London. This admission arouses astonishment and it casts a shadow on an apparently crystal-clear case.
The stumbling block is a letter Meghan sent her father Thomas Markle in the summer of 2018. In it she writes how sad she is about the broken relationship. She calls him “Daddy”. He forwards the letter to the British weekly “Mail on Sunday”, whose publisher is suing the Duchess for alleged intrusion into her privacy. And she wins. The case will be decided without a trial.
Meghan Markle: did she expect the letter to be leaked?
The publisher appealed against this and presented a new statement from a former employee of the Sussexes on the second day of the preliminary hearing. In it, Jason Knauf, the couple’s ex-press spokesman, reports that the Duchess sent him a draft of the letter with explanations and reasons. According to “ITV News”, it should read, among other things: “Of course I designed everything with the knowledge that it would be leaked, and so I was careful with the choice of words.” Meghan also asked Knauf if she should call her father “Daddy” because a leak would “go to the heart”. In addition, the now 40-year-old is said to have written the letter so that if it were passed on, the content could not be shortened or individual passages could be published.
Jason Knauf is the former press spokesman for Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry. Today he works for the Foundation of Prince William and Duchess Kate
© Alberto Pezzali / Avalon / Picture Alliance
She replied in her own statement that she did not think it likely that her father would pass the letter on because it showed it in a bad light. You wanted to show the Royal Family that you (and Harry) were doing something against Thomas Markle’s attacks. She did not want him to be published and wanted to prevent him from being manipulated.
Proven in court: Meghan and Harry had private details passed on to biographers
How important the external perception was to the Sussexes after their wedding and in the following years is also made clear by another aspect. So far, the Duke and Duchess had vehemently denied having collaborated with the authors of their biography “Finding Freedom”. Jason Knauf now claims in court that he spoke to the authors with the knowledge of the two and shared private details. As evidence, he presents emails in which Meghan sends pre-formulated answers to submitted questions.
Now there was probably no direct meeting of the duke couple with the authors – but can Meghan insist on privacy if she reveals private details herself through an employee?
Judges will have to answer this question legally. But socially, the dispute is once again hotly debated among fans and opponents of the Sussexes. Because the Duchess’ admissions do not make her look good. In principle, it is all too understandable that public figures need to correct false stories. The British royal family, with its restrictive communication strategy, is certainly the wrong thing to do with aggressively entering a public debate to this day. Even if it is to protect his own “staff”.
One can hardly imagine the powerlessness.
Now Meghan and Harry have gone on the offensive: They have left the royal family, live thousands of kilometers away, are building their own network and new areas of activity. Even so, in some situations they still seem trapped. That became evident recently when she appeared at a gala honoring veterans in New York City. The Duchess shines in a bright red satin dress with an eccentric cut. She is perfectly made up, wears jewelry from Princess Diana, smiles, chats and jokes. Actually a perfect picture. If you didn’t take care of her hands. Because, as usual, she holds hands with her husband. In fact, it seems more like they are clinging to each other like drowning people.
It is to be hoped that Meghan will find the peace for herself and her family that she originally sought with her lawsuit against the British publisher.