Meghan Markle’s former father Thomas explained what led him to leak a private letter from his daughter to the press.
In 2019, Thomas, 76, allowed a private letter from his daughter to be published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper and on the MailOnline website after the tension between him and his daughter increased.
Meghan, 39, is now suing Associated Newspapers for breach of privacy and copyright infringement over the five articles that included parts of the handwritten letter.
Now, almost two years after the correspondence was published, Thomas explained exactly why he felt the need to make the letter public.
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The former television lighting director said in court that he felt “vilified” by an article published by People magazine, according to a testimony obtained by E! News.
“When I read the article ‘The Truth About Meghan’ in People magazine, I was shocked by what it said about me,” said the statement. “It was a total lie. It misrepresented the tone and content of the letter Meg wrote to me in August 2018, quickly decided that I wanted to correct this misrepresentation.”
Thomas Markle, father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, said he published his private correspondence because he felt “vilified” by an article in which his relationship was covered. (Getty Images)
On February 6, 2019, People published an article called “The truth about Meghan Markle’s father – and the letter she wrote to him after the wedding”, in which a “longtime friend” addressed the letter, claiming who was “heartbroken” when she heard about her father’s health scare and wrote to him to say that she loves him and wanted to “fix” their relationship.
In addition, Thomas reportedly said he believes his daughter “authorized” five of his friends to speak to People about the relationship he shared with her, as well as about the letter itself.
The article suggested that Meghan “loved me and wanted to fix our relationship,” said Thomas. He, however, felt that the letter “was a criticism”.
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“In fact, this signaled the end of our relationship, not a reconciliation,” explained the Duchess’s father.
In the People magazine article, the friend claims that Thomas proposed a photo opportunity with his daughter in response to her letter, which Meghan felt contradicted what she said to him in his opening letter, when he told his father that they “don’t want to” communicate through the media. “
Meghan Markle’s marriage to Prince Harry was not attended by her father, Thomas, as tension grew between the two. (Photo by Karwai Tang / WireImage)
Thomas, however, said he was instead proposing a “harmonious” photo of himself with Meghan, feeling that he “would make the press go back”.
In addition, Thomas refuted his friend’s claim that he “never” contacted his daughter after the ordeal. Thomas claimed in court that “he couldn’t find a way to get her to talk to me.”
Allowing the Daily Mail to “actually quote and reproduce parts of the letter” was the only way to tell its side of the story.
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“The text of the letter proves that what was said in People magazine about the letter was wrong,” said Thomas. “It ‘dissolves’ what was said about me in that article. Readers had to see the letter for themselves – so they would know they were getting the truth.”
He also said it was his choice to publish only parts of the letter.
“I didn’t want the entire letter to be published,” he shared. “The reason for that was because I thought the letter as a whole made Meg horrible. I don’t want to attack or hurt her.”
Meghan Markle now lives in California with her husband, Prince Harry, and their son, Archie. (Getty Images)
Meghan’s lawyers denied that the Duchess of Sussex knew about the People’s article before its publication.
However, in documents publicly available in Britain, Meghan’s legal team insists that the letter was an example of “real pleading [Thomas] to stop talking to the press. “
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“The act of writing a personal letter to a close relative, lover or friend inevitably puts the writer in an unprotected and potentially vulnerable position, because the words chosen and the way the writer chooses to express themselves are for the recipient and nobody else “, said the documents.
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Representatives for Thomas, Associated Newspapers and People did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.