Meghan Markle's father Thomas could be called to testify against her in a legal battle with the Mail on Sunday after High Court documents show he forms part of the newspaper's defence.
The newspaper and its parent company Associated Newspapers face accusations they unlawfully published a letter from Meghan Markle to her father.
It argues publication was justified as a result of the "huge and legitimate" public interest in the "personal relationships" of the royals.
Legal documents show the Mail on Sunday will rely on evidence from Mr Markle, including "he had a weighty right to tell his version of what had happened between himself and his daughter including the contents of the letter".
It means if the case proceeds to trial, both father and daughter could testify against one another and the paper's sister publication The Daily Mail reported Mr Markle would be prepared to face Meghan in court.
The document also argues that members of the royal family "generate and rely on publicity about themselves and their lives in order to maintain the privileged positions they hold to promote themselves".
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The law firm, Schillings, representing Meghan, filed the High Court claim against the Mail on Sunday in October 2019, alleging misuse of private information, infringement of copyright and breach of the 2018 Data Protection Act.
In its legal defence, the paper claims the duchess "did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so".
The paper also argues the publication of the letter was in response to a "one-sided" article in People magazine in February 2019 featuring an interview with five unnamed "close friends" of Meghan which referenced the letter, meaning its existence was in the public domain.
It comes just a day after the Queen agreed Harry and Meghan could step back as senior royals and embark on a new life as an independent family.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed the couple and their son would being a "transition period" in which they would divide their time between the UK and Canada.
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