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Prince Harry, wife Meghan sue UK tabloid over private letter allegations

Posted at 2:17 PM, Oct 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-01 16:17:11-04

LONDON -- Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are suing a UK tabloid over a private letter it published, with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleging it was published illegally and edited selectively to hide "lies" the paper had told about the Duchess.

"Unfortunately, my wife has become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences -- a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son," Harry wrote in an online statement.

According to the statement, the Duchess of Sussex filed a claim against Associated Newspapers -- the parent company of the Mail on Sunday -- over the misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the UK's Data Protection Act 2018.

Harry added that "this particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behavior by British tabloid media. The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question."

Asked about the suit announcement, John Wellington, managing editor of The Mail on Sunday, told CNN that the paper did not have a statement at this time.

"I've literally just seen his statement so we're still digesting and we'll put out a statement soon," Wellington said.

He would not comment on when The Mail on Sunday found out about the lawsuit, or on which law firm was representing the tabloid.