Meghan Markle's decision to sue a U.K. tabloid left palace staff "aghast" at what they saw as a "colossal mistake," according to a new royal biography.
The Duchess of Sussex was advised against bringing the privacy and copyright claim against The Mail on Sunday after it published a letter she sent her father Thomas Markle, according to Courtiers.
However, the book, published on October 6, 2022, and written by experienced royal correspondent Valentine Low, suggested Meghan "was determined to go ahead" and would ask: "Why is nobody listening to me?"
"Everyone else was equally determined to talk her out of it," Low wrote. "Then, when the couple spent time that summer with Elton John and David Furnish, the solution presented itself to them: get another lawyer.
"Schillings, a firm Elton had used before, had a reputation for being the most aggressive libel firm in Britain, as well as for charging eye-watering fees. Meghan dumped Harbottle & Lewis and was introduced to Schillings by Elton. She was on her way to court."
Meghan parted ways with the royal family's lawyer, Gerrard Tyrrell, who represented the queen and other royals, in what the book says "marked another step in the distancing of Meghan from her palace advisors."
The litigation was announced in October 2019 during a royal tour by Harry and Meghan of South Africa.
"After Meghan dropped Gerrard Tyrrell, none of the household was kept in the loop about what was happening with any potential legal action," Low added.
"None of them knew that the duchess was suing The Mail on Sunday until they were in South Africa. The team was aghast.
"They thought it was a colossal mistake, not least because it threatened to derail the rest of the tour. There was, however, very little they could do about it."
Around the same time, Meghan and Harry gave interviews to U.K. network ITV in which they spoke about how hard life in the public eye had been for them.
Harry also acknowledged the rift with his brother for the first time publicly, prompting William to reach out once they were back in Britain.
The book reads: "A palace source told the BBC of household fears the Sussexes were in a 'fragile place', with Prince William hoping they were 'all right'. The day after the documentary aired, William WhatsApped his brother to ask if he could come and see him," Low wrote.
"This put Harry and Meghan into a spin. What should they do? Initially, Harry was in favor. Then he spoke to his brother again and asked him who he would tell," Low wrote.
"William explained that he would have to clear his schedule, which would mean telling his private secretary. At that point, Harry said: don't come.
"He was so concerned that William's team would leak the visit to the press that he would rather not see his brother than risk it getting into the papers. To everyone who knew what was going on, this was heartbreaking."
Ultimately, Meghan won the lawsuit initially at the High Court, in February 2021, and then again on appeal later that year but the process was at times so grueling for her that she feared she might experience a second miscarriage.
Her first miscarriage, in July 2020, also happened during a period of high stress associated with the case, although there is nothing to suggest the lawsuit caused the tragedy.
At the time, the Mail on Sunday had applied for permission to name five friends who had given anonymous interviews to People about Meghan.
More than a year later, in November 2021, Meghan described the impact on her in a witness statement to the Court of Appeal, seen by Newsweek.
"On October 20, 2020, my solicitors issued an application to adjourn the trial due to take place in January 2021," the statement read.
"I was in the first trimester of my third pregnancy at the time (having suffered a miscarriage a few months prior) and was feeling very unwell.
"My doctor advised me to avoid stress, particularly given the recent miscarriage days after [The Mail on Sunday] threatened to break the confidentiality of the original 'sources' for the People magazine article, which resulted in my having to make an urgent application for an anonymity order.
"This was granted by Mr. Justice Warby, but I found the process extremely stressful, and it took its toll physically and emotionally.
"I have at all times wanted to protect the privacy of those friends, while [The Mail on Sunday] was, it seemed to me, doing everything it could to make this litigation as intrusive as possible."
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About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
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