Lawyers for Meghan, the wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, said on Monday a claim by a tabloid paper she is suing for invasion of privacy that the royal couple cooperated with a recent book about them was “manifestly false”.

Meghan, officially titled the Duchess of Sussex, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers over articles the Mail on Sunday printed last year that included parts of a handwritten letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018.

At a hearing at London’s High Court on Monday, lawyers for the Mail said “Finding Freedom”, a biography of Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, published in August, appeared to have been written with the extensive cooperation of the duchess.

They were seeking to amend their case ahead of a trial due to start in January, arguing that Meghan’s alleged cooperation with the book’s authors showed she intended some private details to be made public, including the contents of the letter.

Antony White, the paper’s lawyer, told the court some personal information could only have come from the couple themselves or close friends authorised to disclose it.

The book “gives every appearance of having been written with their extensive cooperation”, he said in a written submission.

Meghan’s lawyer Justin Rushbrooke said there was no evidence for the Mail’s argument which he said was based on assertions which were “manifestly false”.

“What the defendant is saying is we don’t have any evidence for this case ... we are relying on inference. Inference is not evidence,” he said.

One of the book’s authors, Omid Scobie, also gave a witness statement in support of Meghan in which he describes the book as “an independent and unauthorised project”.

“Any suggestion that the Duke and Duchess collaborated on the book is false,” Scobie said. “They did not authorise the book and have never been interviewed for it.”

White said Scobie’s evidence “cries out for rigorous testing under cross-examination”.

The paper argues that its publication of her letter to her father in Feb. 2019 was justified by Meghan’s own “media fightback”, which consisted of anonymous interviews given on her behalf by five of her friends to the U.S. magazine People.

The court was told the Mail’s case was that Meghan had used her friends to influence the media and encouraged them to act as her PR agents.

Meghan denies that her friends were acting on her behalf.

White argued that if she had not cooperated with the book or allowed her friends to speak to its authors, it was “inevitable” that Meghan would have sued, which she was not doing, or stated that the contents were invented.

Rushbrooke dismissed this as a “flimsy leap”.

The trial is scheduled to start on Jan. 11 and to last between seven and 10 days. At a hearing on Monday, the court was told there would be seven witnesses, of whom four will appear on behalf of Meghan.

Meghan’s legal team has budgeted just under 1.8 million pounds ($2.3 million) for the case, while the Mail’s costs are estimated at more than 1.2 million pounds. The judge, Francesca Kaye, said both amounts seemed “dispropionate” as it was not a “high value” claim or complex case, and was essentially a personal dispute.

She will give her ruling on whether the Mail can amend its case at a later date.

Lawyers for Meghan, the wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, said on Monday a claim by a tabloid paper she is suing for invasion of privacy that the royal couple cooperated with a recent book about them was “manifestly false”.

Lawyers for Meghan, the wife of Britain’s Prince Harry, said on Monday a claim by a tabloid paper she is suing for invasion of privacy that the royal couple cooperated with a recent book about them was “manifestly false”. Meghan, officially titled the Duchess of Sussex, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers over articles the Mail on Sunday printed last year that included parts of a handwritten letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in August 2018. At a hearing at London’s High Court on Monday, lawyers for the Mail said “Finding Freedom”, a biography of Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, published in August, appeared to have been written with the extensive cooperation of the duchess. They were seeking to amend their case ahead of a trial due to start in January, arguing that Meghan’s alleged cooperation with the book’s authors showed she intended some private details to be made public, including the contents of the letter. Antony White, the paper’s lawyer, told the court some personal information could only have come from the couple themselves or close friends authorised to disclose it. The book “gives every appearance of having been written with their extensive cooperation”, he said in a written submission. Meghan’s lawyer Justin Rushbrooke said there was no evidence for the Mail’s argument which he said was based on assertions which were “manifestly false”. “What the defendant is saying is we don’t have any evidence for this case ... we are relying on inference. Inference is not evidence,” he said. One of the book’s authors, Omid Scobie, also gave a witness statement in support of Meghan in which he describes the book as “an independent and unauthorised project”. “Any suggestion that the Duke and Duchess collaborated on the book is false,” Scobie said. “They did not authorise the book and have never been interviewed for it.” White said Scobie’s evidence “cries out for rigorous testing under cross-examination”. The paper argues that its publication of her letter to her father in Feb. 2019 was justified by Meghan’s own “media fightback”, which consisted of anonymous interviews given on her behalf by five of her friends to the U.S. magazine People. The court was told the Mail’s case was that Meghan had used her friends to influence the media and encouraged them to act as her PR agents. Meghan denies that her friends were acting on her behalf. White argued that if she had not cooperated with the book or allowed her friends to speak to its authors, it was “inevitable” that Meghan would have sued, which she was not doing, or stated that the contents were invented. Rushbrooke dismissed this as a “flimsy leap”. The trial is scheduled to start on Jan. 11 and to last between seven and 10 days. At a hearing on Monday, the court was told there would be seven witnesses, of whom four will appear on behalf of Meghan. Meghan’s legal team has budgeted just under 1.8 million pounds ($2.3 million) for the case, while the Mail’s costs are estimated at more than 1.2 million pounds. The judge, Francesca Kaye, said both amounts seemed “dispropionate” as it was not a “high value” claim or complex case, and was essentially a personal dispute. She will give her ruling on whether the Mail can amend its case at a later date.

UK's Meghan Markle did not cooperate with biography, lawyers tell court

While we do know that Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a whirlwind affair before they said ‘I do’ but this is probably the first time when we have insider details of their first few dates -- that cemented their relationship for the future.&nbsp;

In a new controversial book that was released recently called ‘Finding Freedom’, Harry was supposedly “in a trance” after meeting Meghan for the first time.&nbsp;

She also reportedly told her friends after the meeting, "Do I sound crazy when I say this could have legs?"

Their first date was at Soho House's Dean Street Townhouse in central London, according to authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/finding-freedom-meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-biography-reveals-tensions-in-the-royal-family-316074" hreflang="en">'Finding Freedom': Meghan Markle and Prince Harry biography reveals tensions in the Royal Family</a>

The couple did a lot of travelling -- Canada and Uk as they kept seeing each other while taking care of professional commitments. Meghan also said to her friend that she wanted to "settle for a nice English gentleman" on a visit to London, according to the book.&nbsp;

A friend told Scobie and Durand that after the three-hour date: "Harry knew they would be together at that point... she was ticking every box fast."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/harry-meghan-markle-distance-themselves-from-upcoming-book-on-time-in-royal-family-315868" hreflang="en">Harry, Meghan Markle distance themselves from upcoming book on time in royal family</a>

The next night they arranged to return to the same place for a romantic dinner, sources told Finding Freedom. The book states: "Despite the palpable attraction between them, there was no goodbye kiss, no expectation, just a hint that something was there and they hoped to see each other again soon. ‘Almost immediately they were almost obsessed with each other,' a friend said. 'It was as if Harry was in a trance.'"

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/queen-elizabeth-sees-new-portrait-unveiled-at-britains-foreign-office-316036" hreflang="en">Queen Elizabeth sees new portrait unveiled at Britain's foreign office</a>

On their third date, Harry surprised Meghan with a trip to Botswana. They stayed in a $1,957 (£1,500) night tent while in the African country. After three months, they said, "I love you".

The book adds: "A friend said: 'She came back smiling and just completely spellbound.'

While we do know that Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a whirlwind affair before they said ‘I do’ but this is probably the first time when we have insider details of their first few dates -- that cemented their relationship for the future.

While we do know that Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle had a whirlwind affair before they said ‘I do’ but this is probably the first time when we have insider details of their first few dates -- that cemented their relationship for the future. In a new controversial book that was released recently called ‘Finding Freedom’, Harry was supposedly “in a trance” after meeting Meghan for the first time. She also reportedly told her friends after the meeting, "Do I sound crazy when I say this could have legs?" Their first date was at Soho House's Dean Street Townhouse in central London, according to authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand. 'Finding Freedom': Meghan Markle and Prince Harry biography reveals tensions in the Royal Family The couple did a lot of travelling -- Canada and Uk as they kept seeing each other while taking care of professional commitments. Meghan also said to her friend that she wanted to "settle for a nice English gentleman" on a visit to London, according to the book. A friend told Scobie and Durand that after the three-hour date: "Harry knew they would be together at that point... she was ticking every box fast." Harry, Meghan Markle distance themselves from upcoming book on time in royal family The next night they arranged to return to the same place for a romantic dinner, sources told Finding Freedom. The book states: "Despite the palpable attraction between them, there was no goodbye kiss, no expectation, just a hint that something was there and they hoped to see each other again soon. ‘Almost immediately they were almost obsessed with each other,' a friend said. 'It was as if Harry was in a trance.'" Queen Elizabeth sees new portrait unveiled at Britain's foreign office On their third date, Harry surprised Meghan with a trip to Botswana. They stayed in a $1,957 (£1,500) night tent while in the African country. After three months, they said, "I love you". The book adds: "A friend said: 'She came back smiling and just completely spellbound.'

New book reveals never-heard-before details of Harry and Meghan Markle's first date

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UK's Meghan Markle did not cooperate with biography, lawyers tell court

New book reveals never-heard-before details of Harry and Meghan Markle's first date