Meghan Markle to pay $105,000 in legal fees after court claim against tabloid partly struck out

Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has reportedly agreed to pay about $105,000 in legal fees in her action against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, after one part of her case was thrown out.

Meghan is suing ANL over their reproduction of a handwritten letter she wrote to her father last year.

After parts of her legal claim rejected in May — with a High Court Judge striking her claim that the paper deliberately stirred animosity between her and her father — the Duchess has now agreed to pay for the cost of the strike-out hearing. The figure in question was revealed in a July 22 written court submission and reported by the Mirror .

Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, who lives in Mexico, has long been embroiled in a simmering conflict with Meghan and her husband Prince Harry. Since falling out with Meghan prior to her wedding, he has spoken to media about their relationship.

Meghan is seeking damages for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act, following the Mail’s article titled: “Revealed: The letter showing true tragedy of Meghan’s rift with a father she says has ‘broken her heart into a million pieces’.” ANL denies Meghan’s claim, in particular an assertion by her that the letter was edited in such a way as to change its meaning.

Meghan has also filed a legal application to try to ensure that the identities of five friends believed to have spoken to People Magazine about the letter to remain a secret.

“To disclose their identities to the public at this stage is an unacceptable price to pay for the right to pursue her claim for invasion of privacy,” her legal team has argued.