Meghan Markle felt 'unprotected' and 'prohibited to defend herself' against press

Months after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle moved away from the royal family, her legal representatives claim that the Duchess of Sussex "felt unprotected by the Royal institution." The claims were made in the new filing at the High Court for an ongoing legal battle between her and a British tabloid.

According to The Times, the media scrutiny left her emotionally distressed and she was left defenceless. It is said that she felt "unprotected" because the institution did nothing to defend her and "prohibited her from defending herself." It is said that all of this happened when she was still a working member of the royal family and she was pregnant with Archie.

As per the report, Meghan's legal representative team has made claims that "her mental health was damaged by negative coverage while she was pregnant." The document reportedly states that she was feeling "tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health."

Meanwhile, a source has confirmed that the references made in legal papers were about the press officers, palace machinery like her former media team, and not the members of the family.

Citing the report, Daily Mail is reporting that the one case that particularly "angered" Meghan was about her PA Melissa Toubati's resignation in the year 2018. It was rumoured that Toubati was distraught by Meghan's demands.

"No one thinks this is likely to end well," a source told the publication. "For anybody."

"The stories were a drop in the ocean compared to the thing that was going on," another source said.

Meghan took legal action against a British newspaper over an article that apparently published excerpts from her private letter to her father.

"The Claimant 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," a legal spokesperson for the duchess reportedly said in the document.

The actress' 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," reads the report.

The papers reportedly appear to display the duchess' frustration towards Kensington Palace's communications team as it is believed to follow "no comment" policy on press reports. In addition, the report suggests that Meghan's claims may lead the staff from the royal household to be called to the High Court for evidence.

In addition, in the new documents, Meghan has identified five closes friends, whose names remain anonymous, and could be called to testify for her at a trial.