Meghan may have suffered a legal blow but this is only round one in what looks set to be a messy courtroom skirmish. Here is what you need to know.
It should have been one of the most dramatic days in recent royal history. On April 24, a horde of the UK’s legal superstars should have descended on London’s High Court for the start of what will be one of the most closely watched, potentially damaging, legal stoushes in recent history.
On one side, Associated Newspapers, the parent company of the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, and on the other, Meghan Duchess of Sussex.
It was expected to be a dramatic day.
Instead, the preliminary hearing in the case played out via Microsoft Teams with hordes of journalists signing in to witness the first round in this courtroom confrontation.
Despite the fact that it was 3.30am in Los Angeles, Meghan and husband Harry Duke of Sussex are also reported to have watched proceedings unfold.