Thomas Markle set to testify against daughter Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, in legal suit

Amid the royal family crisis, Meghan Markle and her father Thomas Markle prepare to go head to head in the court. As per the latest report, Thomas could be asked to take the stand and testify against his estranged daughter in a legal suit that Sussexes filed months ago against a British publication.

In October, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declared the legal battle with the newspaper over the misuse of personal information, copyright infringement, and breach of Data Protection Act, after it published excerpts from the private letter she sent to her father. Responding to the legal complaint, the publication in question has now filed its defence at the high court on Tuesday.

According to the BBC, the court documents for defence party reveals that their argument against the duchess and other royals despite their privileged positions "rely on publicity." The paper also revealed Thomas Markle's role in the case.

BBC's royal correspondent Jonny Dymond said that the British newspaper has presented a "very robust" response to the royals. As per the court documents, they are prepared to argue that "the Royal Family, including Meghan, rely on publicity about themselves and their lives in order to maintain the privileged positions they hold and promote themselves."

The duchess "did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy that the contents of the letter were private and would remain so. This extends not merely to their public conduct, but to their personal and family relationships because those are integral to the proper functioning of the monarchy," the statement in the document reads as quoted.

It is said that the publication has provided 44-page legal filing against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, in which they are targeting to deal with each, and every claim made by Meghan. And Thomas is apparently a part of the tabloid's defence. He could possibly be the star witness in the case.

The news comes hours after Queen Elizabeth II issues a statement about Harry and Meghan's situation in the family. She has agreed to the couple's demands of leading a "financially independent" life in the UK and North America.

Meanwhile, Meghan's private letter in question was apparently published in February 2019. The UK paper dismisses the claim by arguing that the letter was not an "original literary work." Also, the newspaper suggested that they did not commit any kind of infringement of her data rights because the contents were not sensitive and concerning topics were already put in the public domain by her.