The Duchess of Sussex wants to dispel some rumors. According to multiple reports, her lawyers have made a court filing against The Mail on Sunday and The Daily Mail which alleges the outlets fabricated stories that painted the duchess in a negative light. Among them? Renovation details about Frogmore Cottage: the filing says that the outlets claimed the couple installed expensive soundproofing, a yoga studio, tennis courts, an orangery as well as an additional wing. Meanwhile, Markle and her legal team say all of this doesn’t “exist and is completely untrue.”
While this may not seem like a big deal to casual observers—who cares if they do or do not have a yoga studio?—the Frogmore Cottage renovations were paid for by the British taxpayer, making their expense a matter of national interest.
The filing also goes into specifics about allegations that The Mail on Sunday altered and intentionally omitted sections from a letter that the duchess wrote to her father. (In his original statement about the lawsuit, Prince Harry wrote: “The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question. In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year.”)
According to E! News, The Mail on Sunday chose not to publish content that showed Markle caring for her father nor her concern about his manipulation by the U.K. media.
Lastly, the duchess is said to be taking issue with claims that her mother, Doria Ragland, was not invited to her baby shower and that she only asked celebrity guests to attend.
Per People, the papers state: “The baby shower (which actually cost a tiny fraction of the $300k falsely stated in the article) was organized and hosted by one of her best friends from university. The 15 guests who attended the shower were close friends and included long-term friendships, some of which had existed for over 20 years.”
A spokesperson for The Mail on Sunday told the BBC that they will defend the case “with vigour.” “There is nothing in this document which changes that position,” they added.
It’s just the latest chapter in the royal couple’s united front against the British tabloid media—Prince Harry, too, is seeking damages over illegal interception of voice messages.
Originally Appeared on Vogue
