
Audio By Carbonatix
The Duchess of Sussex will receive £1 in damages from Associated Newspapers after the Mail on Sunday was found to have invaded her privacy.
The nominal sum was set out in court documents which formally confirm the newspaper has accepted defeat.
The Mail on Sunday published a handwritten letter the duchess sent to her father Thomas Markle in 2018.
The media company will also pay an unspecified sum for a separate case of infringing her copyright.
Associated Newspapers previously indicated it was considering a further appeal to the Supreme Court, but the company has now accepted defeat in the long-running case.
Last February, the High Court had ruled against the newspaper group on the issue of privacy and copyright - saying the issues in the case were so clear cut that there was no need for a full hearing.
Associated Newspapers was refused permission to appeal against the decision but went to the Court of Appeal in an attempt to get the original ruling overturned.
However, in December, the Court of Appeal rejected Associated Newspapers' attempt to have a trial.
Judges at the appeal said it was hard to see what evidence at a trial would have altered the situation.
They added: "The judge had correctly decided that, whilst it might have been proportionate to publish a very small part of the letter... it was not necessary to publish half the contents of the letter."
A spokesman for Associated Newspapers said at the time: "It is our strong view that judgment should be given only on the basis of evidence tested at trial, and not on a summary basis in a heavily contested case."
In her own statement issued after the ruling, the duchess urged people to be "brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that... profits from the lies and pain that they create".
Associated Newspapers will also pay a confidential sum for copyright infringement, while the Mail on Sunday also faces having to cover a substantial part of Meghan's legal costs, which could be more than £1m.
Media lawyer Mark Stephens told the Guardian the nominal £1 settlement suggested a weakness in the privacy aspect of the duchess's case.
"Normally for that kind of invasion of privacy you would expect £75,000 to £125,000," he said. "It does show that the curation of her reputation was an area where she had effectively invaded her own privacy."
However, libel lawyer David Hooper told The Daily Beast: "Accepting the £1 will likely have avoided a tremendous argument about the extent of the damage she suffered.
"She just wanted to establish a principle and get her legal costs paid, although she may well still be a half a million pounds out of pocket as a result of this process."
Latest Stories
-
Women in PR Ghana unveils Top 10 PR Women for 2025
59 seconds -
Tourism Minister advocates expansion of Vodza Regatta in Volta region to boost coastal tourism
11 minutes -
Gradual recovery signals shift in fortunes of Tema Oil Refinery
14 minutes -
Greece to ban social media for under-15s from next year
14 minutes -
Volta Chiefs condemn EOCO over alleged disregard for Court ruling in Kwamigah-Atokple case
16 minutes -
We need collective action to advance sustainability in Ghana and Africa – Deloitte Tax Partner
20 minutes -
Imperial College promotes science communication and Africa–UK innovation links
20 minutes -
Imperial College President calls for global science partnerships with Africa
31 minutes -
NPP leaders converge at party headquarters ahead of NEC meeting on polling station elections
41 minutes -
Fuel prices may rise in Ghana despite global drops – Duncan Amoah
44 minutes -
‘No one is above the law’- Volta Chiefs condemn EOCO over handling of Council of State member’s case
45 minutes -
AMA creates alternative pedestrian routes at Kaneshie after footbridge closure
49 minutes -
Ghanaians were misled- NPP accuses NDC of politicising Anti-LGBTQ bill
50 minutes -
iWatch Africa’s Philip Kwasi Banini to Speak at the 13th Digital Rights & Inclusion Forum in Abidjan
52 minutes -
Photos: Mahama receives full state welcome in Paris ahead of talks with French President Macron
1 hour