Meghan Markle apologizes to court for forgetting book discussions

[Teletubby 149,601]

Meghan Markle has apologized for misleading a British court about the extent of her cooperation with the authors of a sympathetic book about her and Prince Harry.
She is embroiled in a court battle in London over a British newspaper’s publication of portions of a letter she wrote to her estranged father after her 2018 marriage to Harry, a grandson of Queen Elizabeth II.

She sued the publisher of the Mail on Sunday and the MailOnline website for breach of privacy and copyright. A High Court judge ruled in her favor in February.
Publisher Associated Newspapers is trying to overturn that decision at the Court of Appeal. The publisher argues that Meghan wrote the letter knowing it might be published, and made private information public by cooperating with Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, authors of “Finding Freedom.”

The duchess’ lawyers have previously denied that she or Harry collaborated with the authors. But the couple’s former communications director, Jason Knauf, said in evidence to the court that he gave the writers information, and discussed it with Harry and Meghan.

In a witness statement made public on Wednesday, Meghan accepted “that Mr. Knauf did provide some information to the authors for the book and that he did so with my knowledge, for a meeting that he planned for with the authors in his capacity as communications secretary.” She added that “the extent of the information he shared is unknown to me.”

She said she did not remember the discussions with Knauf when she gave evidence earlier in the case, “and I apologize to the court for the fact that I had not remembered these exchanges at the time.”  “I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or the court,” she said.

In his witness statement, Knauf said the duchess “asked me to review the text of the letter, saying ‘obviously everything I have drafted is with the understanding that it could be leaked.’”

Knauf said Meghan asked whether she should address her father in the letter as “Daddy,” adding that “in the unfortunate event that it leaked, it would pull at the heartstrings.”

source

Texts saved under the pseudonym 'Tilly' show Meghan writing to the Sussexes' former communications secretary, Jason Knauf 
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In this email Mr Knauf said he had spent 'close to two hours' with the authors of the unauthorised biography

[Guest]

Old news I knew this before it even leaked, people just think Meghan & Harry are so perfect and cookie-cutter, meanwhile they are very manipulative

[InTheCloset 20,001]

someone summarize the texts. im too lazy to read all that

[Teletubby 149,601]

31 minutes ago, InTheCloset said:

someone summarize the texts. im too lazy to read all that

She discussed with aide (Mr Knauf) drafting of the letter with the understanding it could be leaked so she toiled over every detail. She said Harry faced constant berating from Royal family over her relationship with her father, Royal family wanted her to talk with her father and tell him to stop talking to the press.
In the email sent to Meghan her aide confirmed he spent two hour with the authors of the unauthorised biography and said her that the book is going to be very positive.

[bionic 50,107]

37 minutes ago, InTheCloset said:

someone summarize the texts. im too lazy to read all that

Meghan 'forgot' that she wrote a letter to her father with the expectation that it would be leaked. She also 'forgot' that she knew (and permitted) the PR guy to brief authors on her private life

[pachinko 10,400]

I am always amazed how personal text messages and emails are leaked to public.