Meghan Markle Was Allegedly 'Prohibited From Defending Herself' From Tabloid Reports

Meghan Markle was allegedly “prohibited from defending herself” when the British media published false stories about her, according to the latest documents submitted in the duchess' ongoing legal battle.

New court documents obtained by E! News revealed that Markle and her friends allegedly felt that they were “silenced” by the royal family. The former “Suits” star's lawyers stated that Markle became the subject of “false and damaging articles” by tabloids in the U.K., specifically The Mail on Sunday, whose publishers, Associated Newspapers Limited, she is suing.

The documents also stated that the tabloid articles “caused tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health.”

“As her friends had never seen her in this state before, they were rightly concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant, unprotected by the Institution and prohibited from defending herself,” they read.

The Duchess of Sussex’s lawyers also said that it was Markle’s husband, Prince Harry, who told her about her friends giving an interview to People magazine. In the article, five of Markle’s "best friends" fired back at Mail on Sunday, defending the duchess after the tabloid infamously published excerpts of her letter to her father, Thomas Markle Sr.

In the alleged five-page letter, Markle had accused her father of breaking her heart “into a million pieces” after he gave interviews to the press and fabricated stories.

Markle’s lawyers continued by saying they believe that the duchess' friends, who weren't named, had done this because Kensington Palace allegedly demanded people close the former actress to keep mum when approached by the media.

Markle would have also clarified that she was not aware of her friends speaking to People had she been given notice of their plans, her legal reps added.

“Had the Claimant been asked or been given the opportunity to participate, she would have asked the KP Communications Team to say on the record that she had not been involved with the People magazine article, as she had not been,” Markle’s lawyers asserted.

According to the Daily Mail, Markle has identified the five friends, who were only dubbed A, B, C, D and E. People, in its February 2019 article, described as them as “a longtime friend, a former co-star, a friend from LA, a one-time colleague and a close confidante.”

One of Markle’s friends said in the interview that they were worried about what the scrutiny was doing to the former actress, who was pregnant at the time, and her baby.

As per the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s legal reps, the couple is privately funding the cost of the case, and proceeds from damages will be given to an anti-bullying organization.