Meghan Markle could rack up £1.8million legal bill in High Court privacy case
THE Duchess of Sussex faces a huge legal bill for her High Court privacy case.
Meghan could rack up £1.8million costs if the case gets to trial.
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She is suing the Mail on Sunday over the publication of a letter she wrote to her estranged father in 2018.
The newspaper will also tally up costs of £1.2million, documents released in court revealed.
The judge, Master Francesca Kaye, described the legal bills as “excessive and disproportionate”.
She added that, despite those involved, the case was a “personal dispute” with “no wider public interest”.
Meghan, 39, is expected to face dad Thomas Markle, 76, during the ten-day trial in January.
Her legal costs are expected to include £524,000 for trial preparation and £304,700 for the trial itself, along with £200,000 on bringing the case to court, £190,000 for disclosure and £104,110 on statements.
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Meghan fired barrister David Sherborne this month and replaced him with Justin Rushbrooke QC.
She was previously told to pay the paper’s £67,000 costs after losing an earlier hearing.
The Duchess is suing for breach of privacy, copyright and data protection.
Meghan 'involved in book'
MEGHAN collaborated on bombshell book Finding Freedom about her and Harry, it is claimed.
The allegation was made in her case against the newspaper she is suing for printing extracts of her handwritten letter to dad Thomas Markle.
Mail on Sunday lawyers claim she had briefed pals who revealed its contents in a “favourable” interview with a US celeb magazine.
The paper submitted an amended defence statement about her alleged involvement in Finding Freedom.
Antony White QC suggested the detail in the book could not have been written without Meghan’s “extensive co-operation”.
This was denied by Meghan's counsel.
The defendants hope to cross-examine co-author Omid Scobie over denials Meghan and Harry contributed to it during the trial next year however the duchess' counsel made clear that there is no intention to call him as a witness so he won't be quizzed on the stand.
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