Is Meghan Markle's Battle Against The Media Just Getting Started?
On December 2, Meghan Markle won her legal battle against the publishers of British tabloid the Mail on Sunday. Per People, the Duchess of Sussex filed a complaint about privacy and copyright infringement after sections of a private letter she wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., were published by the paper. Although the publishers, Associated Newspapers Limited, appealed the initial judgement, the court ruled in Meghan's favor again. The decision means that Meghan will not be subjected to cross-examination as a witness because the case cannot go to court. She's also set to receive substantial financial damages from the publishers, in addition to a public apology from the Mail on Sunday and on the Mail Online homepage.
"This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right," the duchess said in a statement after the court's ruling. She added, "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."
While Meghan celebrated her victory emphatically, experts are predicting that her battle against the media is just getting started. Here's why.
Meghan Markle's war with the British tabloids will likely continue
Meghan Markle may have won her legal battle against one of the major British tabloids, the Mail on Sunday, but her statement declaring victory has likely put her in the crossfire again because of how personal she got. In her statement, Meghan referred to the Mail as the "daily fail" and namechecked Jonathan Rothermere, the man behind the tabloid. Media experts tell The Daily Beast that, while Meghan's win was largely predicted, her response was a bad "PR strategy."
"They were always going to win, there is no public-interest defense for the Mail," David Yelland, former deputy editor of the New York Post, told the outlet. "But being right and being wise aren't always the same thing. Meghan's victory statement was an example of an extremely unwise PR strategy. Personally namechecking Jonathan Rothermere, the proprietor, in that statement is hugely significant. It's a deeply personal attack on him." Yelland added that the Mail's news cycle is relentless, which allows for the publication to intensify its coverage of the royals if leaders feel so inclined.
Yelland also said that it's nearly impossible for Meghan to cut off the British press entirely because of her husband Prince Harry. "Meghan is playing to an American audience, but her husband is a prince of the realm and will always have a British audience ... Because of who he is, he will always be a news story," he said, adding, "He has an audience here and people care about him."