The father of Meghan Markle, Thomas Markle, is not happy about the judges' decision to push the start of the trial of the Duchess of Sussex's lawsuit against Associated Newspapers.
Lawyers of Meghan Markle asked the London High Court for a summary judgment Thursday. However, Justice Mark Warby instead pushed the trial date from Jan. 11, 2021 to a still-undetermined date for the fall of next year.
Thomas, 76, who is a key witness for the defendant, said that the delay is causing anxiety because he "could die tomorrow." Thomas is expected to take the stand for Associated Newspapers, the publisher of Mail on Sunday, which reproduced parts of Meghan's private letter to her father in early 2019.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed that Mail on Sunday breached her privacy and copyright, as well as maliciously printed the letter to paint her in the negative light in the eyes of the public.
Lawyers for Associated Newspapers did not contest the new trial date. However, they informed Justice Warby that Meghan's father was "elderly and sick" and was willing to provide evidence to the case as soon as possible.
Thomas apparently told Liz Hartley, the publisher's legal director, that he wants the trial to be over as "quickly as possible" because he believes his time is near. Meghan's father suffered a heart attack days before her royal wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 and still suffers from different health issues. Thomas was not able to witness his daughter exchange vows with Harry.
According to Hartley, Thomas is adamant about having his day in court to explain why he permitted Associated Newspapers to publish his daughter's letter. He wants to defend himself amid allegations that he contributed to the breach of Meghan's privacy.
The father and daughter's relationship has been estranged in the last two years. Meghan also claimed that the publishing of the letter led to the further souring of her relationship with her dad.
Meanwhile, Warby's decision to push the trial was made after a private hearing. The judge said that the reason for the request to delay will remain confidential.
But Meghan is currently based in Los Angeles with Prince Harry. The Sussexes have stayed on the West Coast since March and have no plans to leave America in the near future.
Fox News reported that the lawsuit was supposed to have a 10-day trial in London, which means that Meghan has to fly back to the U.K. before the trial's original date. The Duchess of Sussex will also need to quarantine and prepare for the legal proceedings if she would take the stand.
