Meghan Markle Won Her Request to Delay Her Big Court Case

The 10-day trial was supposed to start at the beginning of next year in London.

Meghan Markle scored a victory in her latest legal battle against the Mail on Sunday. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

The Duchess of Sussex won her latest request in her legal battle against the Mail on Sunday and its publisher, Associated Newspapers. Meghan Markle is suing the British tabloid over their publication of a private letter she wrote to her father, and this week, her lawyers filed an application to postpone the beginning of the 10-day trial, which was set to begin on January 11 in London. They came out victorious, as this morning, Mr. Justice Warby ruled that the previous trial date is now vacated, and a new date will be set for next fall.

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The trial judge said that the “primary basis” for which Meghan’s lawyers were asking for the adjournment was a “confidential ground,” per Express. He said, “The right decision in all the circumstances is to grant the application to adjourn.”

The Sussexes are now living in Montecito. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Meghan was expected to appear in person for the High Court case in January, and it would have been her first time back in the U.K. since she and Prince Harry officially relocated to California earlier this year.

Yesterday, Meghan and her legal team also requested a summary judgement, which would mean that there wouldn’t be a trial at all; her lawyers say it’s because they are confident in their case, per ITV’s Chris Ship. Her lawyers are still going to apply for the summary judgement, according to Ship, though that won’t be decided until a later date.

Prince Harry issued a legal warning to the British tabloid earlier this week. Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images

Earlier this week, Prince Harry also sent a legal warning to the Mail on Sunday, over a story it ran that suggested the Duke of Sussex hasn’t kept in touch with the British Armed Forces since he and Meghan stepped down from their official royal roles this past spring.

Now that Meghan’s trial date has been moved, she’s no longer required to be in London in January. She was expected to make the trip along with Prince Harry and their son, Archie, for the family of three’s first outing back across the pond in nearly a year. They’ll still be traveling back to London at some point next year, though, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are reportedly staying in their new Montecito home for the holidays, will definitely be back in London for the unveiling of a statue in Princess Diana’s honor at Kensington Palace next summer.

Meghan Markle Won Her Request to Delay Her Big Court Case