‘Daily Mail’ Gives Meghan Markle Front-Page Apology After Her Lawsuit Victory

On Sunday, The Daily Mail printed a formal apology to Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, per the mandate of the lawsuit Markle won against the news platform. In 2019, the Mail printed a handwritten letter that Markle had sent to her father. Markle sued the Mail for copyright infringement, and after hearings on Jan. 20-21 and May 5. 2021, the High Court found Associated Newspapers guilty.

The judge stated that Markle “had a reasonable expectation that the contents of the Letter would remain private.” She won the case on Dec. 2, and it did not proceed to trial. The Mail was required to print an apology, and to leave the message on the homepage of its website, MailOnline, for a full week.

This victory comes after years of what Markle has called abuse from the media. She and her husband, Prince Harry, have vocally criticized the media for alleged harassment, bullying, privacy breaches and libel. They have also alleged that the media has especially targeted Markle, who is black, due to her race. They have cited copious examples of double standards between her media representation and that of the white Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William.

Harry said in the documentary, Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, “For me, and for my wife, you know, of course there’s a lot of stuff that hurts, especially when the majority of it is untrue. But all we need to do is focus on being real and focus on being the people that we are, and standing up for what we believe in. I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mom.”

His mother, Princess Diana, died in a 1997 car crash while fleeing paparazzi.

Upon winning the suit, Markle said in a statement, “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right. While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.”

She went on to censure the defendant for continuing to “twist facts and manipulate the public” throughout the lawsuit, stating that its “model rewards chaos above truth.” She said, “In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation and calculated attacks.”

She added, “The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it’s not. Tomorrow it could be you. These harmful practices don’t happen once in a blue moon—they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better.”