London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Duchess of Sussex weighed up calling father 'daddy'

Duchess of Sussex weighed up calling father 'daddy'

The Duchess of Sussex questioned whether she should call her father "daddy" in a letter and whether it would "pull at the heartstrings" if leaked, the Court of Appeal has heard.

The letter is at the centre of a legal battle over privacy between the duchess and publishers of the Mail on Sunday.

The paper claimed it was written with an awareness it could be made public.

The duchess won a previous court case that found publishing the letter was a misuse of her private information.

Associated Newspapers' legal team are seeking to overturn this judgement.

They are disputing that this was simply a private and personal letter - and have argued that it was crafted with the "possibility of public consumption" in mind.

The court heard lawyers for the duchess reiterate that this was a "highly personal" family letter touching on her private feelings, and that its publication was against the rights to a private life, family life and the protection of private correspondence.

In the second day of the appeal hearing, lawyers for the publisher challenged the extent to which it was really a "private" letter, sent by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, to her estranged father Thomas Markle.

The newspaper's lawyers highlighted a witness statement from Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to Meghan and Prince Harry.

The court heard of text messages between the duchess and Mr Knauf about the drafting of the letter, sent in August 2018.

This included whether it should begin by addressing Mr Markle as "daddy".

The court heard that the duchess had written: "Given I've only ever called him 'daddy' it may make sense to open as such, despite him being less than paternal, and in the unfortunate event that it leaked it would pull at the heartstrings."

Andrew Caldecott, representing the news organisation, quoted Meghan in a further exchange, saying the letter was "real, honest and factual, and if he leaks it, then that's on his conscience, and at least the world will know the truth. Words I could never voice publicly".

And the court heard, quoted from the exchange, that: "Obviously everything I have drafted is with the understanding that it could be leaked, so I have been meticulous in my word choice."

'Absurd'


Justin Rushbrooke, representing the Duchess of Sussex, said this was a more straightforward case than might appear from the challenges against it.

Extensive parts of a private, family letter had been shared without the consent of the sender, he said.

And he told the court that if it had become public, that was because it had been published by the news organisation.

In a statement sent to the Press Association, the duchess said she had never expected the letter to be leaked and that it was "absurd" to see the recognition that a letter could be leaked as being the same as expecting that to happen.

The duchess said that Mr Markle's involvement in media coverage was putting pressure on Prince Harry and the letter was a way of addressing that.

"I felt that, even if my attempt to stop my father talking to the media failed, at least my husband would be able to say to his family that I had done everything I could to stop it," said the statement from the duchess.

The letter had been sent to Mr Markle a few months after the duchess had married Prince Harry and it challenged her father's dealings with the media.

Mr Markle, who was said to be unhappy at other media accounts of his relationship with his daughter, had given the letter to the Mail on Sunday.

Lawyers for the newspaper suggested he wanted to challenge a "false narrative" of the run-up to his daughter's wedding and that revealing the letter was a form of right of reply.

'Dehumanising'


The duchess's legal team is seeking to uphold the finding of the earlier court.

Welcoming the earlier ruling, Meghan had said it was a victory against "dehumanising" media behaviour.

"The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep," she said.

The Mail on Sunday faced a requirement to publish a front-page statement on the Duchess of Sussex's case, which has been put on hold pending the outcome of the appeal.

The hearing is due to end on Thursday.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×