Could Meghan Markle see her own father turn against her in court?
The Duchess of Sussex, whose decision to step away from Royal life with husband Prince Harry hit headlines last week, is embroiled in legal action against The Mail Online and the Mail on Sunday for publishing a personal letter she wrote to her dad.
Now, the paper could call on estranged dad Thomas Markle to back up their case for publishing extract from the emotional note, The Mirror claims.
Meghan's lawyers filed a High Court claim against the paper and its parent company, Associated Newspapers, over the alleged misuse of private information.
When the legal action was announced in October, Prince Harry claimed the alleged unlawful publication of the private letter was done in "an intentionally destructive manner" to "manipulate" readers.
In a statement released at the time, a spokeswoman for law firm Schillings claimed the "intrusive" publication of the letter was part of Associated Newspaper's campaign to write "false and deliberately derogatory stories about" Meghan, "as well as her husband"
But the Mail on Sunday said it would stand by the story, in its legal defence the newspaper group claims the duchess "did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so", according to the BBC.
Among other legal arguments, court documents show lawyers for the paper have claimed that the Duchess of Sussex's "immaculate" handwriting in the missive proof she intended it to be published, along with the fact that she had kept a second copy.
Reports about the upcoming trial come shortly after Buckingham Palace confirmed Harry and Meghan will be allowed to step back as senior royals. They intend to begin a "transition period", splitting their life between Canada and the UK to raise their young son, and have said they wish to stop relying on public fund for their income.
