London’s Court of Appeal released a series of texts and emails between Meghan Markle and her former communications chief, Jason Knauss, on Friday. The messages reveal how Prince Harry’s family pressured him over Meghan’s relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, as reported by People.
Harry faced “constant berating” about the Markle father-daughter relationship, according to the newly-released correspondence. The disclosure is part of the Duchess of Sussex’s ongoing legal battle with Associated Newspapers Limited, the publisher of the Daily Mail and other outlets.
After Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding in May 2018, which Meghan’s father did not attend, he continued to give unflattering interviews about her and her new family. (He was previously caught staging paparazzi photos for cash.) Meghan decided to pen a handwritten note to her father, aware that it could be leaked, according to a text message she sent. The gesture appeared to be an effort to ease the pressure Harry faced from his family over the plight.
“Even after a week with his dad,” Meghan wrote to Knauss in August 2018, “and endlessly explaining the situation, his family seem[s] to forget the context — and revert[s] to ‘can’t she just go and see him and make this stop?’”
She continued, “they fundamentally don’t understand so at least by writing H[arry] will be able to say to his family… ‘She wrote him a letter and he is still doing it.’ By taking this form of action I protect my husband from this constant berating, and while unlikely perhaps it will give my father a moment to pause.’”
Associated Newspapers published the handwritten note—which was leaked as Meghan predicted—arguing that Knauss had co-authored it, making it Crown property. (Under British law, a letter’s author owns the text.) In May, Meghan won her final copyright claim against Associated Newspapers, which is appealing the decision.
The Court of Appeal said on Thursday that it would take its time considering the case after a three-day hearing. For her part, Meghan, who attended a New York Times summit this week, urged people to quit reading tabloids. Barring their extinction, she offered a middle-ground solution. “Hopefully, one day they come with a warning label like cigarettes do,” she said. “Like, ‘This is toxic for your mental health.’”
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