Meghan Markle Is Donating a Portion of Her Court Settlement to Charity

Update January 6, 2022: Following her court victory over Associated Newspapers, Meghan Markle is reportedly donating a "significant amount" of the settlement to anti-bullying charities, Harper's Bazaar confirms. Court documents state that Associated Newspapers will be paying Meghan a symbolic amount of £1 for invasion of privacy.

The choice of charity is significant to Meghan and her husband, Prince William. When the Sussexes initiated legal proceedings against Associated Newspapers three years ago, Harry published an open letter that accused the U.K. media of bullying his wife much in the same way they had done with Princess Diana.

"There comes a point when the only thing to do is to stand up to this behaviour, because it destroys people and destroys lives," the duke wrote at the time. "Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people. We all know this isn't acceptable, at any level. We won't and can't believe in a world where there is no accountability for this."

Previously: After nearly three years, Meghan Markle's legal battle against the U.K.'s Mail on Sunday is officially over.

On Thursday, the Court of Appeal in London ruled in the Duchess of Sussex's favor in her privacy and copyright case against Associated Newspapers after they published sections of a personal letter she wrote to her estranged father Thomas Markle following her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. The court's decision means that the case will not proceed to trial and Meghan will receive financial damages and a public apology from the newspaper group.

In light of the judgement, Meghan made a moving statement about her victory. "This is a victory not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right," she said. "While this win is precedent setting, what matters most is that we are now collectively brave enough to reshape a tabloid industry that conditions people to be cruel, and profits from the lies and pain that they create."

Meghan went on to accuse the British tabloid of dragging out the trial in an attempt to "twist facts and manipulate the public (even during the appeal itself), making a straightforward case extraordinarily convoluted in order to generate more headlines and sell more newspapers — a model that rewards chaos above truth." She added, "In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation, and calculated attacks."

RELATED: The "Unnamed Royal" That Asked About Archie's Skin Color Is Allegedly Prince Charles

Back in February, Meghan was originally granted a summary judgement against Associated Newspapers, but the media company appealed this decision, arguing that the case deserved to be tried in court. They entered new evidence — including a series of previously unseen text messages and emails between Meghan and her royal communications secretary Jason Knauf explaining her plans to write the letter to her father. But alas, they lost.

"Today, the courts ruled in my favor—again—cementing that The Mail on Sunday, owned by Lord Jonathan Rothermere, has broken the law," Meghan concluded. "The courts have held the defendant to account, and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it's not. Tomorrow it could be you. These harmful practices don't happen once in a blue moon—they are a daily fail that divide us, and we all deserve better."