After a selection of text messages sent by Meghan Markle were made public in court, a veteran of the palace has claimed that only Prince William could have approved that move. Another royal expert, author Duncan Larcombe, agreed William was responsible.
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The text messages revealed that Markle was not only aware that there was a high probability that her personal letter to her father could be leaked, but that she’d written the letter with that possibility in mind.
Meghan Markle’s Court Victory Sours
Meghan Markle celebrated a victory against the U.K. tabloid The Mail On Sunday after the publication printed excerpts of a private letter she sent to her father, Thomas Markle. The case had originally been ruled in her favor, but the publication filed an appeal after obtaining text messages Markle had sent her then-communications secretary Jason Knauf.
The text messages spoke of Markle’s frustration over her father’s constant interviews and the tension it was causing between Prince Harry and his family. “The catalyst for my doing this is seeing how much pain this is causing H,” Markle said in an August 2018 text. “Even after a week with his dad and endlessly explaining the situation, his family seem to forget the context — and revert to ‘can’t she just go and see him and make this stop?’”
Text Messages Revealed By Former Aide
She continued, “They fundamentally don’t understand so at least by writing H will be able to say to his family… ‘She wrote him a letter and he is still doing it.’ By taking this form of action I protect my husband from this constant berating, and while unlikely perhaps it will give my father a moment to pause.’”
Knauf is the same royal aide who accused Markle of bullying two PAs, which led to an investigation into the Duchess of Sussex, the result of which still hasn’t been released despite the fact that it was launched near the beginning of this year. On True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat, Dickie Arbiter, who’d previously worked as Queen Elizabeth’s communications secretary from 1988 to 2000, was asked if Knauf would have needed Prince William and Kate Middleton’s approval to release the text messages.
Prince William, Kate Middleton Approved?
Arbiter confidently answered, “I would put my money on it.” On the same show, royal author Duncan Larcombe agreed, adding, “Lawyers from The Mail On Sunday would have approached Jason Knauf, knowing that these emails existed. That would have been the point. Most likely, Jason would have gone to William and Kate. He would not have cooperated with those lawyers without their definite knowledge.”
It seems unlikely that Prince William would be unaware that these text messages would reach the public, much like it’s unlikely that Meghan Markle was too shocked when her father leaked her letter. This royal intrigue doesn’t seem like it’s coming to a close any time soon. Only time will tell how this appeal will work out, and if the results cause further division within the British royal family.