London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 04, 2026

Meghan told ex-aide she wrote to estranged father to protect Harry

Meghan told ex-aide she wrote to estranged father to protect Harry

The Duchess of Sussex said she chose to write to her father, Thomas Markle, to protect Prince Harry from the Royal Family's "constant berating" over his media interviews, text messages reveal.

Meghan told ex-aide Jason Knauf the royals did not understand why she could not visit her estranged father's home in Mexico to "make this stop".

She also said she had seen the "pain" the situation was causing Prince Harry.

The messages were released by a court on Friday after a media application.

Meghan, 40, won her privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, earlier this year, when the High Court found its publication of her letter to her father - sent in August 2018 - was unlawful.

But ANL brought an appeal to overturn the ruling, which has been the subject of hearings at the Court of Appeal this week. The ruling is due at a later date.


This long ongoing court case is an attempt to protect the privacy of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex but in bringing the action it is, in some ways, doing the opposite.

The obvious anger and distress caused by the Mail on Sunday publishing extracts of a deeply personal letter has led to the release of a series of court documents which reveal arguments and disagreements from behind closed doors.

The fact that Harry and Meghan felt under pressure from the Royal Family to resolve the difficult relationship with her father, Thomas, has been discussed at length in court.

These text messages which mention what she feels was the "constant berating" of her husband over the issue of her father reveal something of the level of feeling in the days leading up to the letter being written.

It is also worth noting that this was taking place in the summer of 2018, just three months after the happy scenes at their wedding when Prince Charles walked Meghan down the aisle at Windsor.

The latest revelations come a day after the Court of Appeal heard Mr Knauf, the couple's former communications chief, "regretted" not giving evidence in her High Court case against ANL.

After extracts of texts and emails between Meghan and Mr Knauf were used in court, further messages were released on Friday following an application by the PA news agency and the Times newspaper.

In the newly released text messages, sent to Mr Knauf while she was drafting the handwritten letter to her father, the duchess said she was motivated to write to her father due to the "pain" the situation was causing Prince Harry.

She wrote: "Even after a week with his dad and endlessly explaining the situation, his family seem to forget the context - and revert to 'Can't she just go and see him and make this stop?'"

She accused the Royal Family of "fundamentally" failing to understand and that by writing to her father, her husband would be able to tell them "she wrote him a letter and he's still doing it".

The duchess added that she was doing this to "protect my husband from this constant berating and while unlikely perhaps it will give my father a moment to pause".

However, she told Mr Knauf the letter "does not open the door for a conversation".

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were pictured at an event in New York on Wednesday


On Wednesday Mr Knauf, who is due to stand down from his current role as the chief executive officer of the Royal Foundation at the end of the year, said in a witness statement that the duchess had written the letter to her father with the understanding that it could be leaked.

The Court of Appeal also heard this week that Mr Knauf had been asked by Meghan to pass information to Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors of the Finding Freedom biography - leading to the duchess apologising to the court for forgetting about emails sent about the book.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Consults International Partners on Maritime Trade Security and Energy Market Stability
Rare Revolutionary-Era Documents Discovered by UK Archives and Undergoing Authentication
UK Consumer Confidence Remains Deep in Negative Territory as Household Spending Stays Cautious
Transport for London Warns of Severe Disruption as Major Events Converge in Central London
NHS and Social Care Sectors Face Ongoing Recruitment Shortages Amid Persistent Workforce Gaps
Rising Energy Costs Drive Price Pressures Across UK Retail and Service Sectors
Competition and Markets Authority Expands Review of Artificial Intelligence Impact on UK Media Markets
UK Parliamentary Committees Intensify Scrutiny of National Security and Industrial Policy Legislation
Bank of England Faces Persistent Inflation Pressure as Rate Cut Expectations Fade
UK Public Finances Under Pressure as Borrowing Exceeds Forecast and Debt Nears 95% of GDP
Major Police Deployment Across Central London as Mass Demonstrations and Pride Parade Converge
Large-Scale Police Dispersal Powers Activated in Liverpool Ahead of Anti-Immigration Protests and Counter-Demonstrations
Luxury bags take over the World Cup: style, status symbol, or just showing off?
National Productivity Institute Highlights Weak Business Investment Outside Southern England
UK High Court Orders Reassessment of Environmental Impact in Major Highway Project
UK Cyber Security Centre Warns of Rising Threat From State-Sponsored Digital Espionage
UK Education Secretary Launches National Reform of Apprenticeships and Vocational Training
Financial Conduct Authority Tightens Climate Risk Disclosure Requirements for Listed Firms
Rail Union Suspends Planned Strike Action to Enter Formal Negotiations With Operators
Northern Ireland Businesses Seek Clarity Over Post-Brexit Trade Rules
Welsh Government Launches Regional Growth Plan Targeting Transport and Digital Infrastructure
North Sea Wind Sector Attracts £5 Billion Investment Amid Expansion of Offshore Capacity
Scotland and UK Governments Establish New Framework for Coordinated Investment in Energy and Infrastructure
UK Government Launches Major Immigration and Border Policy Overhaul Review
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates to Remain Elevated Despite Easing Inflation Pressures
National Health Service Warns of Severe Winter Capacity Strain Across Hospital Trusts
Chancellor Orders Urgent Treasury Review Amid Concerns Over Structural Public Finance Gap
Prime Minister Unveils Sweeping Legislative Programme Focused on Housing, Health Service Reform and State Energy Plan
UK Parliamentary Committee Launches Inquiry Into Falling Primary School Rolls and Public Service Impact
UK House of Lords Debates Electoral Commission Powers and Political Finance Reform
UK Parliament Considers Expanding Carbon Rules to International Aviation and Shipping Emissions
UK Traffic Commissioner Revokes Hampshire Haulage Operator Licence Over Regulatory Failures
UK Parliament Examines Risks in Public Contracts Awarded to Technology Firm Palantir
UK Competition Watchdog Moves Toward More Flexible Merger Rules to Support Efficiency and Growth
UK Government Seeks Approval for £1.15 Trillion Public Spending Plan Amid Scrutiny Over Department Budgets
UK Parliament Debates Sweeping National Security and Steel Industry Nationalisation Bills
UK Government Issues Formal Apology for Historic Forced Adoption Practices and Announces £4 Million Support Scheme
UK DEFENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY TILTS TOWARD SOVEREIGN CAPABILITY AND INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT
UK ECONOMIC POLICY OUTLOOK SHAPED BY LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AND FISCAL SIGNALS
STERLING STRENGTHENS AMID SHIFTING MONETARY OUTLOOK AND GLOBAL LABOUR MARKET SIGNALS
UK HPV VACCINATION PROGRAM NEARLY ELIMINATES CERVICAL CANCER DEATH RISK IN YOUNG WOMEN
UK EXPANDS PRISON SAFETY REVIEW AS GOVERNMENT SEEKS WIDER SYSTEM REFORM
UK DRIVES DIGITAL ASSETS STRATEGY WITH NEW STABLECOIN REGULATORY MODEL
UK TO EXPAND AI INFRASTRUCTURE THROUGH NEW EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIP
UK LAUNCHES £15 BILLION DEFENCE TECH SHIFT TOWARD ADVANCED MILITARY SYSTEMS
CIVIL SERVICE FACES SHIFT IN POWER STRUCTURE AS REGIONAL GOVERNANCE PLANS EXPAND
WHITEHALL CONSIDERS MAJOR DECENTRALISATION PLAN WITH SECOND GOVERNMENT HUB IN MANCHESTER
UK TARGETS SERVICES EXPORT GROWTH IN TRADE TALKS WITH CHINA AMID GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS
POLICE WATCHDOG PROBES OFFICERS OVER HANDCUFFING OF DYING TEENAGER IN HAMPSHIRE CASE
UK REGULATORS UNVEIL DUAL OVERSIGHT FRAMEWORK FOR STABLECOINS AND DIGITAL ASSETS
×