‘Palace Four’ Royal aides refuse to just take sides in duchess’ legal struggle with Mail on Sunday

Four Royal aides are refusing to “take sides” in the Duchess of Sussex’s High Court docket privacy fight but can lose mild on how Meghan crafted a disputed letter to her father.  

Meghan, 39, is suing Affiliated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), publisher of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline, above the publication of parts of a handwritten letter to Thomas Markle.  

Extracts of the letter had been released by the newspaper in February 2019, sparking a legal declare by the Duchess for breach of copyright and invasion of privateness.  

The Royal aides – dubbed the Palace 4 – have develop into embroiled in the row as a demo would investigate who was involved in the drafting of the letter.  

ANL thinks Jason Knauf, previous communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, was “involved”, even though the couple’s ex-deputy communications secretary Christian Jones, their former personal secretary Samantha Cohen, and Sara Latham, who was director of communications, are also considered to have appropriate proof in the situation.  

In a letter to the courtroom, launched now, legal professionals for the Palace 4 said they did not want to be involved in the lawful fight but confirmed they would give proof at trial if essential.  

“None of our consumers welcomes his or her prospective involvement in this litigation, which has arisen purely as a final result of the effectiveness of his or her duties in their respective careers at the content time”, solicitors Addleshaw Goddard wrote.  

“This is specially the circumstance, given the sensitivity of, and hence discretion required in, their specific roles in the Royal Household. As you will recognize, all our consumers are sure by obligations of confidentiality to their former and/or present-day employers.

“Nor does any of our shoppers want to choose sides in the dispute amongst your respective customers. Our clients are all strictly neutral. They have no fascination in aiding possibly get together to the proceedings.”

The Palace 4 want a “level taking part in field” in the dispute and believe they can “shed some light” on how the letter was produced and drafted, whether Meghan predicted her letter becoming public, and if there was any collaboration by the Duchess with the authors of biography Acquiring Liberty.  

The Palace 4 no lengthier operate for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex following the couple’s departure from the Royal fold.  

Meghan’s lawyers argue the publication of the letter was “a triple-barrelled invasion of her privateness rights”, though ANL assert the news articles were in the community desire in putting Thomas Markle’s tale out.

ANL also promises Meghan wrote the letter with a look at to it getting to be public, anticipating her father would leak it to the media.  

She is trying to find summary judgment and victory in the situation, but ANL has argued there are issues “crying out for investigation at trial”.  

The listening to before Mr Justice Warby carries on. It is expected he will reserve judgment right until a later date.