Meghan Markle's former aides refuse to participate in case involving letter to father

A new aspect has emerged in Meghan Markle's privacy case against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL). The High Court was told that four former aides of the Duke and the Duchess of Sussex, dubbed "Palace Four," might have some inside information about her letter to her estranged father Thomas Markle.

On the second day of the hearing on Tuesday, ANL's barrister Anthony White QC told the court that a letter from lawyers representing the "Palace Four" has revealed they would be able to "shed some light" on the drafting of the letter. The Duchess of Sussex had written the letter shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. Her father then gave it to a British tabloid to publish without her permission.

According to a report in Mail Online, the so-called Palace Four includes Jason Knauf, former communications secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It has been claimed to the court that he was involved in the wording of Meghan's letter, while the former American actress insists she only showed him a draft. The other three aides are Christian Jones, Sussexes' former deputy communications secretary, Samantha Cohen, their former private secretary, and Sara Latham, their former director of communications.

In the letter sent to the court on the behalf of the four former aides, their lawyers clarified they will not be participating in the case. The letter read: "None of our clients welcomes his or her potential involvement in this litigation, which has arisen purely as a result of the performance of his or her duties in their respective jobs at the material time. This is particularly the case given the sensitivity of, and therefore discretion required in, their particular roles in the Royal Household."

"Nor does any of our clients wish to take sides in the dispute between your respective clients. Our clients are all strictly neutral. They have no interest in assisting either party to the proceedings. Their only interest is in ensuring a level playing field, insofar as any evidence they may be able to give is concerned," the letter added.

Meghan's lawyers have applied for a summary judgement in the case, which means there will be no trial, and instead, the judge will make a ruling based on the cases submitted on paper by the two sides without taking any witnesses or further evidence into account. The newspaper argues that the case is "wholly unsuitable for summary judgement."

Apart from citing the possible evidence that could be provided by the "Palace Four," the newspaper also told the court that it was also "likely" there could be further proof about whether Meghan "directly or indirectly provided private information" to the authors of "Finding Freedom," an unauthorised biography about the couple.