Meghan wins lawsuit, British newspaper must publicly apologize on front page
The apology appeared on MailOnline’s homepage on December 26. Photo: Mail
Mail on Sunday and MailOnline published a public apology to Meghan Markle on their front pages on December 26, after losing a copyright infringement lawsuit against the Duchess of Sussex in 2019.
The Mail on Sunday published a front page story last weekend, claiming that the newspaper and MailOnline had breached the privacy of the Duchess of Sussex in February 2019 by publishing parts of a five-page letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle, shortly after her royal wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.
“The Duchess of Sussex has won a copyright infringement lawsuit against Associated Newspapers – the parent company of the Mail on Sunday and Mail Online – over articles published in the two newspapers,” the announcement on the front page of the Mail on Sunday on December 26 clearly stated.
“Following hearings on 19 and 20 January 2021, and another on 5 May 2021, the Court delivered its judgment on the Duchess of Sussex’s complaint. Accordingly, the Court found that Associated Newspapers had infringed copyright when it published excerpts from Meghan’s handwritten letter to her father in the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline. Financial compensation measures were agreed.”
Earlier on February 11, Judge Mark Warby of the High Court in London ordered the Mail on Sunday to publish an apology in the newspaper under the headline “The Duchess of Sussex”. He also requested that the apology appear on the MailOnline main page “for a week”, and link to the judgment under the words “The full judgment and summary of the Court’s case can be found here”.
Despite an appeal from Associated Newspapers, Judge Warby’s decision in the privacy and copyright breach case was upheld by the Court of Appeal in London on December 2. In addition to a public apology on the front page of the Mail on Sunday and the home page of MailOnline, the Duchess of Sussex is expected to receive substantial financial compensation. In March, the judge ruled that the owners of the two newspapers should pay 90% of Meghan’s estimated $1.88 million in legal costs from the 18-month legal battle.
The Duchess of Sussex won the case and was apologised after nearly three years of pursuit. Photo: GC Images
In a statement on December 2 after winning the case, Meghan wrote: “This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt afraid to stand up for the truth. While this victory was predetermined, what matters most is that we now have the courage to reshape the tabloid industry and stand up to those who profit from the lies and pain they cause.
From the beginning, I treated this case as an important yardstick to distinguish right from wrong. The defendant treated it as a game without rules. They dragged it out, distorted the truth, manipulated the public (even during the appeal period), made the case from simple to complicated to create more headlines, sell more newspapers. For nearly three years since the beginning of the lawsuit, I have patiently faced deception, threats and calculated attacks.”
Meghan “surpasses” sister-in-law Kate, achieving two prominent titles in the royal family
Meghan’s dress was once criticized as a disaster
Along with winning the lawsuit, the Daily Star recently reported that Meghan Markle topped the list of the 10 smartest members of the British royal family. This result is based on a new study conducted by Oxford Royale, an education company, based on the academic achievements of British royal members from high school and the rankings of the colleges they attended.
Oxford Royale is understood to have used the QS World University Rankings – which ranks schools based on academic reputation and staff-to-student ratio – as part of its research.
The 40-year-old Duchess is ranked No. 1, according to the study, thanks to her education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Meghan graduated with a double major in theater and international relations from the prestigious school, which is ranked 30th in the world according to the 2021 QS World University Rankings.
Meanwhile, Duchess Kate came in second place in the study. The mother of three attended Marlborough School in Wiltshire, where she achieved three As in her final year. Kate then went on to study at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, which is ranked 91st in the QS rankings.
Prince William came in third after also graduating from St. Andrews. However, Kate is said to be smarter than her husband, as she performed better than the future king in exams. William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, did not appear in the Oxford Royale’s top 10 list.
Not only is Meghan the “smartest”, she has also “surpassed” her sister-in-law Kate to become the sexiest member of the royal family, receiving 50,000 global monthly searches related to her physical attractiveness. Princess Kate is only in second place with more than 18,000 searches. Prince Harry has also been ranked as the sexiest man, surpassing his brother William.
The results are based on the highest number of searches for terms including “Meghan Markle hot,” which received nearly twice as many searches as the Duchess of Cambridge. In particular, the term “Meghan Markle sexy” increased 733% compared to the yearly average, with the biggest increase after the Sussexes’ blockbuster interview with Oprah aired.
“Even before Meghan joined the royal family, she was already considered by the public to be extremely attractive thanks to her role in the hit TV show and Suits. However, the latest results show Meghan’s enduring power to capture the world’s attention through her beauty,” a spokesperson for the study said.