Meghan Markle’s father says he will testify against her: ‘It will be quite stunning’
Thomas Markle, father of the Duchess of Sussex, has said he is willing to testify against her as part of the legal action Meghan is taking against specific tabloid stories regarding her relationship with him.
In an interview with The Sun – his first since Prince Harry and Meghan announced they were walking away from royal duties – Thomas said he would testify against “the things that have been said about me” related to a letter allegedly unlawfully published by the Daily Mail.
He said: “When me and Meghan end up in a courtroom together, it will be quite stunning for everybody.
“It will be emotional. I don’t know how we will both accept it,” he said, and added “everything will come out” in court.
“This is my fault so I have to stand up for myself. It is a responsibility thing. Maybe it’s because I was a Boy Scout.”
Thomas is the main witness for Associated Newspapers, owner of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, who are being sued by the duchess for alleged misuse of private information, copyright infringement and breach of the Data Protection Act.
The Mail on Sunday and MailOnline published extracts from a “private and confidential” letter Meghan sent her father about their rift in February last year.
Meghan’s lawyers claim the “true sentiment” of the letter was her concern about her father’s welfare and his exploitation by tabloid newspapers which he should stop talking to.
Schillings law firm also claimed the portion of the letter that was printed by the Mail on Sunday “intentionally distorted or manipulated” its context to depict the duchess “negatively”.
An extract from Meghan’s letter read: “Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces.
“If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop. Please allow us to live our lives in peace. Please stop lying, please stop creating so much pain, please stop exploiting my relationship with my husband.”
Thomas told The Sun: “Everything has to come out when you go to court. That means all her phone records, as well as mine. And I don’t think she wants that to happen.
The publisher’s lawyers accused the duchess of being more concerned about the “unflattering” effect of the published letter extracts than any breach of her data protection rights.
In court documents, the publisher also argues that an article in US People was sanctioned by the duchess and its effect “was to suggest that Mr Markle has made false claims about his dealings with his daughter and that he was entirely at fault in not attending the royal wedding and for the estrangement between himself and the claimant”.
Thomas gave the Mail on Sunday access to the letter from his daughter after an US People article was published in which five anonymous people claiming to be Meghan’s “best friends” spoke about his relationship with Meghan.
One friend said: “He’s never called; he’s never texted. It’s super painful, because Meg was always so dutiful. I think she will always feel genuinely devastated by what he’s done.”
Thomas said he went to the Mail on Sunday because he “wanted to defend myself for what was being said by those five people”.
He added: “I think Meghan had a huge role in it. Now it is my obligation to turn up and give evidence."
The letter Meghan sent to her father is believed to be the last communication between the pair, after their relationship completely broke down in the week of her wedding to Harry in May 2018.
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