Meghan suing Mail On Sunday over 'false and absurd' stories

The Duchess of Sussex has accused the Mail newspapers of waging a three-year campaign of "false and absurd" stories about her, according to new details of her legal action against the media group.

According to the website Byline Investigates, lawyers representing Meghan say the Mail On Sunday took out passages from a private letter she sent to her father Thomas Markle to portray her negatively.

The paper is also accused of exploiting Mr Markle, and fabricating a story about how much the duchess and her husband Prince Harry have spent on their royal home at the expense of the taxpayer.

The claim, which has been filed over alleged misuse of private information and a breach of the Data Protection Act, cites articles saying the couple bought a £5,000 copper bath and £500,000 on soundproofing.

Byline Investigates reports that the duchess is also unhappy about a story that linked her love of avocado to human rights abuses, and another that connected a community kitchen project she supported to Islamist jihadists.

But the main focus of the action is a letter Meghan wrote to her father, which the Mail On Sunday featured alongside analysis by a handwriting expert to suggest the duchess was a narcissistic showman.

While the paper said the letter was published in full, the claim alleges that sections were omitted that demonstrated how much Meghan cared for her father because they did not fit the narrative within the articles.

The claim reportedly states: The omitted parts demonstrate the claimant's care for her father and others, as well as her concern about the UK tabloid media exploiting her father, and the fact that she addresses untruths previously published by the defendant. Those elements did not fit the defendant's narrative within the articles.

In such circumstances, the pronouncement by the defendant that it was revealing the 'full content' of the 'five-page letter' was intentionally misleading and dishonest.

The new details have emerged a month after Prince Harry issued a statement explaining why he and his wife were launching legal proceedings against the Mail.

The Duke of Sussex said Meghan had become one of the latest victims of a British tabloid press that wages campaigns against individuals with no thought to the consequences.

He described the coverage as part of a ruthless campaign that has escalated over the past year, throughout her pregnancy and while raising our newborn son.

The couple introduced their first child, Archie, to the world back in May and the baby has rarely been seen since, although his father shared a photo of him to wish the Prince of Wales a happy birthday earlier this week.

In his statement outlining the legal action against the Mail, Harry also drew comparisons with how his wife has been treated by the press to how his mother Princess Diana was covered.

He said: I've seen what happens when someone I love is commoditised to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.

The Mail On Sunday said at the time: The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously.

Specifically, we categorically deny that the duchess's letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning.