Royal household’s ‘no comment’ policy which frustrated Meghan Markle was for HER benefit to not make things worse by ‘giving gossipy stories more oxygen’, source tells People
- Royal household’s ‘no comment’ policy is to avoid ‘making situations worse’
- In court documents, Meghan Markle said she felt ‘unprotected by the institution’
- Legal documents outline Meghan’s frustration with the ‘no comment’ policy
The British Royal household’s ‘no comment’ policy was for Meghan Markle’s benefit because they wanted to avoid ‘making situations worse by giving a gossipy story more oxygen’, a source told People magazine.
It comes after papers filed in the High Court last week revealed that the Duchess of Sussex, 38, felt she was ‘unprotected by the institution and prohibited from defending herself’ from press coverage.
But an insider with close knowledge of palace workings insisted the royal family‘s history of silence when it comes to news stories is because they don’t want to heighten any situations.
Court documents also said the media intrusion Meghan faced while she was pregnant with son Archie, now one, damaged her mental health.
The former Suits star is suing Associated Newspapers Limited over an article in The Mail On Sunday that shared parts of a handwritten note she had sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018. She claims publication was a breach of her privacy; the newspaper denies the claim.
The British Royal household’s ‘no comment’ policy was for Meghan Markle’s benefit because they wanted to avoid ‘making situations worse by giving a gossipy story more oxygen’, a source told People magazine. Pictured, Meghan with her husband Prince Harry
Meghan and Prince Harry (pictured in London in March 2020), 35, are suing Associated Newspapers Limited over an article in The Mail On Sunday that shared parts of a handwritten note she had sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018. She claims publication was a breach of her privacy; the newspaper denies the claim
The royal source said: ‘The palace teams are faced with the difficulty that when things go wrong — particularly on private life matters — quite often any action taken with the media makes it worse.
‘It’s not that the royal household doesn’t want to help — more that they don’t want to make it worse by giving a gossipy story more oxygen.’
In documents submitted in her legal case, Meghan claimed she felt ‘unprotected by the institution’ during her pregnancy and was ‘prohibited from defending herself’ against media reports.
Her lawyers said the Duchess had ‘become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles by the UK tabloid media, specifically by the defendant, which caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health.’
In documents submitted in her legal case, Meghan claimed she felt ‘unprotected by the institution’ when pregnant and was ‘prohibited from defending herself’ against media reports. Meghan pictured during her pregnancy in February 2019 in London
Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex are seen with their son Archie in September last year during their tour of South Africa
The claims raise the prospect that staff from the Royal household could be called to give evidence in the High Court, laying bare the inner workings of Kensington Palace.
Speaking to People, a source close to Meghan said: ‘The go-to position [at the palace] was no comment or to ignore stories, and people actively prevented her from responding to stuff that we knew to be untrue.’
The lawsuit is expected to go to a full trial in late 2020 or early 2021.
Last week, royal editor Russell Myers (pictured) said the Queen and her family will be ‘distressed’ to hear that Meghan did not feel ‘protected’ during her pregnancy in 2019
Last week, royal editor Russell Myers said the Queen and her family will be ‘distressed’ to hear that Meghan did not feel ‘protected’ during her pregnancy in 2019.
Appearing on Lorraine, he said the senior members of the royal family will be upset over the claims that the Firm failed to safeguard her.
He said the situation was ‘very very sad indeed,’ and added the royal family were likely to feel upset by the Duchess of Sussex’s latest court submissions.
‘They’re all also disturbing readings for the royal family. They will be really, really distressed,’ he said.
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