Meghan Markle’s request to delay her privacy trial against the Mail on Sunday has been approved by a High Court judge.
The legal case against Associated Newspapers was due to commence on January 11 but has now been “vacated,” with a new trial date being arranged for fall 2021.
ITV’s royals editor Chris Ship posted:
Meghan is STILL going to apply for a Summary Judgement so that even the delayed trial is not required as she claims the Mail on Sunday has “no real prospect” of defending its actions in law. She is suing the newspaper for publishing the letter she wrote to her father Thomas
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 29, 2020
The summary judgement decision will NOT be taken today. It will be heard at a later date as it was only filed by Meghan’s lawyers as recently as four working days ago. pic.twitter.com/7adLMOzEY6
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) October 29, 2020
Markle is suing the Mail on Sunday‘s publishers, Associated Newspapers, for invasion of privacy, infringement of data protection rights and copyright infringement after the outlet printed extracts from a letter which she sent to her father, Thomas Markle, in 2018.
It was previously reported that while appearing before a judge in London on Thursday, Oct. 29, lawyers for the duchess would also argue for a summary judgment in the case rather than a trial.
A full trial would potentially hear evidence from witnesses like Markle’s father, as well as close friends of the former actress and husband Prince Harry.
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The request came after a judge recently ruled that Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family could be used as evidence in the upcoming case.
The book, which was written by royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, follows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s journey from the early days of their relationship to their current life in Los Angeles.
A representative for the royal couple previously said in a statement, “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”
