It’s a rare occasion when a member of the royal family ignites a fire in your belly so strong that the hair stands up on the back of your neck. Yet that is exactly what Meghan Markle has done today when she reminded us of the importance of standing up for what is right, no matter the personal cost.
On Thursday, December 2 the Duchess of Sussex shared a rare yet poignant statement about standing your ground in the face of adversity and injustice.
While Markle’s David and Goliath-esque words came in light of Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) losing their appeal in a legal case involving the royal (more on that below), they are relatable to anyone who has felt wronged, made to feel inferior or persecuted in their life.
‘This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what’s right,’ Markle wrote in a statement, which has widely been shared on Twitter.
Royal fans will notice the statement is printed with Markle's royal monogram, and not the couple’s Archewell Foundation logo, which the couple have used on several occasions in recent months on official letters since they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020. Prince Harry similarly used his royal monogram in his letter written on behalf of Princess Diana for World Aids Day.
‘While this win is precedent-setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create.’
Meghan sued ANL over five articles reproducing a ‘personal and private’ letter to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018. On Thursday, December 2 ANL lost its appeal after the duchess won her case earlier this year when a high court judge ruled in her favour without a need for a trial, according to the Guardian.
‘From day one, I have treated this lawsuit as an important measure of right versus wrong. The defendant has treated it as a game with no rules. The longer they dragged it out, the more they could twist facts and manipulate the public (even during the appeal itself), making a straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted in order to generate more headlines and sell more newspapers – a model that rewards chaos above truth,’ Markle continued.
‘In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks. Today, the courts ruled in my favour – again – cementing that the Mail on Sunday, owned by Lord Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law. The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it’s not.
‘Tomorrow it could be you. These harmful practices don’t happen once in a blue moon – they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better.’
Markle’s letter echoes the personal essay she wrote for ELLE UK in 2015 about finding your voice.
‘While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification, keeping me with a foot on both sides of the fence, I have come to embrace that,’ she wrote.
‘To say who I am, to share where I'm from, to voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman. That when asked to choose my ethnicity in a questionnaire as in my seventh grade class, or these days to check 'Other', I simply say: 'Sorry, world, this is not Lost and I am not one of The Others. I am enough exactly as I am.'
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
