Meghan Markle tries to stop five friends being named in court battle

9 July 2020, 09:42

Meghan Markle is suing Associated Newspapers over articles which featured parts of a "private and confidential" letter
Meghan Markle is suing Associated Newspapers over articles which featured parts of a "private and confidential" letter. Picture: PA

By Asher McShane

Megan Markle has applied to the High Court to stop the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday from naming her five friends who spoke anonymously to a US magazine to defend her from tabloid "bullying".

Meghan is suing Associated Newspapers, publisher of the two titles and MailOnline, over articles which featured parts of a "private and confidential" letter from the duchess to her estranged father Thomas Markle.

In a witness statement submitted as part of the application the duchess said: "These five women are not on trial, and nor am I. The publisher of the Mail on Sunday is the one on trial.

"It is this publisher that acted unlawfully and is attempting to evade accountability; to create a circus and distract from the point of this case - that the Mail on Sunday unlawfully published my private letter."