Meghan Markle has reportedly accused The Mail on Sunday and its parent company of deliberately portraying a ‘false picture’ of her by publishing ‘fake news’.
The Duchess, and husband Prince Harry, are suing Associated Newspapers for waging a ‘campaign of fake news information’ against her - including the publication of details from a private letter without her consent.
The couple launched legal action in October alleging misuse of private information and infringement of copyright.
According to a report by Byline Investigates, court papers have revealed details of Meghan’s High Court action against the newspaper group.
The filed document cites an extensive list of ‘false’ and ‘absurd’ stories published about her.
The legal documents are said to outline eight stories published by Associated Newspapers that the couple claim are false. They include: an article claiming Meghan is “almost straight outta Compton”, which the couple claim is false; an article claiming that one of Meghan’s former aide’s walked out on the “difficult duchess”, with the couple insisting that long-time aide Samantha Cohen didn’t quit; and that Meghan and Harry bought a £5,000 copper bath, spent £500,000 on soundproofing their new home Frogmore Cottage, and also installed a yoga studio - none of which they say is accurate.
The court documents reportedly say that “the clear intention was to portray the Claimant in a damaging light by suggesting that she had indulged in this series of absurdly lavish renovations”.
The Duchess also says the Mail made false claims about her relationship with father, Thomas Markle.
She cites the Mail claiming that she “did not ask about her father’s welfare” after a heart attack among other claims.
In one section of the document, Part 18 - a legal reply to questions from Associated Newspapers - her legal representatives said a letter Meghan wrote to her father had been edited to mislead readers, despite the Mail on Sunday claiming it had published the full letter.
Schillings, the law firm representing Markle, has described the publication of her letter as part of a “campaign by this media group to publish false and deliberately derogatory stories about her, as well as her husband.
“...We have issued proceedings to redress this breach of privacy, infringement of copyright and the aforementioned media agenda.” It did not give details about the letter in question or publication date.
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On October 1, it emerged the couple had launched legal action against Associated Newspapers. Harry said in an emotional statement that the treatment of Meghan by sections of the British press was reminiscent of their approach to his mother Diana, who died in a car crash in 1997 after being followed through the streets of Paris by photographers.
“My deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”
In his statement, Prince Harry said the newspaper had “purposely misled (readers) by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words” from the letter.
The Mail on Sunday denied the account.
“The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously,” said a spokesman in October. “Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess’s letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.”
Yahoo News UK has contacted Associated Newspapers for comment on the latest claims.
