Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers (ANL), the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, over an article detailing a handwritten letter sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018. The court heard today that the total costs for both sides in the lead up to and during the trial, which is expected to take place in January, are now an estimated £3million. This includes Meghan’s costs totalling £1.8 million and the newspaper reaching £1.2million.
During the costs and case management hearing today, Jessie Bowhill, who represents the Duchess, said: “The overall total costs figures are £1,798,043.57 for the claimant and £1,230,425 for the defendant.
“At the broad brush level, £1.8 million is a reasonable and proportionate amount for a seven to 10-day trial in the High Court in a case concerning private information, personal data and intellectual property rights of a high-profile individual.”
Meghan’s lawyers also denied she “co-operated” with Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand in their Finding Freedom biography.
They said the mention of the letter in the book was “extracts from the letter lifted from the defendant’s own articles”.
An application by Associated Newspapers’ lawyers had been put forward to amend their defence ahead of the trial, saying Meghan did work with the authors.
Daily Express royal reporter Richard Palmer said: “The paper has applied to amend its defence to argue Meghan co-operated with the authors of a book, Finding Freedom, to put out their version of a controversy over a letter she sent to her father.
“But Meghan’s lawyers say the authors just “lifted” the letter extracts from the MoS.”
Sections of the letter were published in the Mail on Sunday and also online in February last year.
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The Duchess announced she would be bringing legal action in October.
The preliminary hearing today is dealing the timetable for naming witnesses, as well as the trial date and a cap on legal costs.
Last month, Meghan was granted the right to protect the identities of five friends who gave an anonymous interview to US magazine People.
The senior judge said he had concluded that “for the time being at least” Meghan should be granted an order which protects the identities of the individuals.
Meghan’s lawyers had applied for the five friends who gave an interview to People magazine to remain anonymous in reports of the proceedings.
The article, which was published in February last year, reported her friends’ claims against the bullying Meghan said she has faced.
They have only been identified in confidential court documents.
