Meghan Markle has claimed that the newspaper crossed "clear ethical boundaries" by operating at the hospital room of her estranged father, following his assertions that he had not gotten his daughter's communications.
A Public Appeal and a Private Struggle
Thomas Markle publicly asked Meghan to see him in a recent newspaper interview, following having major surgery abroad.
However, a representative for Meghan said that she had been attempting to reach her father and criticised the publication's actions.
"Given that a Daily Mail reporter has stayed at her father’s side throughout, publicizing each interaction and breaching clear ethical lines, it has been extremely hard for the royal to contact her father in private, notwithstanding her attempts over the past several days," the representative said. "Thanks to reliable and trusted associates, her correspondence is now securely in his hands."
Publisher's Rebuttal
A representative for the parent company of the newspapers denied unethical behaviour and stated that Mr. Markle was a friend of the reporter who spoke with him.
"After Thomas Markle was taken ill in the Philippines he reached out to the journalist and asked her travel to be with him," said the spokesperson. "As well as being a journalist, she has been friends with Mr Markle for years. She has been with Mr Markle in hospital every day, offering him care and support."
The company representative continued, "It is entirely untrue that each exchange has been publicized, and the suggestion that ethical boundaries were violated is patently untrue and strongly contested."
Background of Estrangement
The dispute comes a tense few days in which Meghan is understood to have been attempting to reach her father. Her team say they had faced challenges to locate him or establish a method to communicate with him privately.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018, when she married Prince Harry. The father-daughter bond soured further when a private letter she wrote to him, extracts of which were published in the Sunday paper, an act she said "marked the end of our relationship, not a reconciliation."
Forthcoming Court Case
This incident precedes by weeks the Duke of Sussex is due to begin a legal case against the owner of the Daily Mail over claims of illegal data collection.
In that trial, scheduled for next month, the publisher is being sued by Prince Harry and a group of high-profile figures. The plaintiffs contend the newspaper group carried out illegal practices. The publisher strongly disputes all accusations.
