The revelation comes after a torrid week for the monarchy, which was prompted by last Wednesday’s “personal message” from the duke and duchess about their intentions, which left the Queen “hurt” and “disappointed” and culminated in a family summit at Sandringham. The royal family is working out a deal that will enable the Sussexes to adopt a new role that could give them financial independence and allow them to spend more time in Canada. The duchess was on Tuesday night seen for the first time since returning to Canada, boarding a seaplane on Vancouver Island without her son, Archie. She was later pictured meeting staff at the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, a refuge for women and children from conditions of poverty and violence. "Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community," the group wrote on Facebook.

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video If the Duchess’s case against the Mail on Sunday goes to trial, it is likely Mr Markle will testify against his daughter and the Duchess will be forced to give evidence against him. Submitted by the Mail on Sunday’s parent company, Associated Newspapers, the 44-page defence accuses the “self-promoting” Duchess of “knowingly” making public the contents of the letter to paint her in a more flattering light. The documents, seemingly written with Mr Markle’s co-operation, justify publication of excerpts from the letter and his response to it last February, insisting it was “necessary for the sake of truth, fairness, and Mr Markle’s reputation, and so that the public should not be misled”. It adds: “The claimant’s privacy rights do not extend to silencing her father.” Last October, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, said he and his wife had been forced to take action against “relentless propaganda” from Associated Newspapers’ publications in an emotive attack on what he described as a “ruthless campaign” against his wife. Accusing the tabloid media of “bullying” behaviour that “destroys people and destroys lives”, he evoked memories of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, saying his “deepest fear is history repeating itself”. The Mail on Sunday published the excerpts, along with an interview with Mr Markle, four days after the American magazine, People, ran articles said to have been based on anonymous interviews with five of the Duchess’s closest friends standing up against the “global bullying” she had faced.

The title page of the court document seen by The Telegraph, London. Credit:The Telegraph, London As well as confirming the existence of the letter, the unnamed “sisterhood” told People that Mr Markle had never contacted his daughter, claiming that the Duchess was “calling, texting, even up to the night before the wedding” on May 19, 2018 after he had to pull out following an emergency heart procedure. But according to the court documents, the last message Mr Markle received was a text allegedly sent on May 17 “admonishing him for talking to the press, telling him to stop and accusing him of causing hurt to his daughter”. It was purportedly signed: “Love M and H.” The defence also claims the couple “did not ask how he was or how the surgery had gone”. The document includes details as to how Mr Markle felt “hung out to dry” and that no one came to see him ahead of the wedding, whereas the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, had been personally informed of the royal engagement by two British embassy officials who visited her Los Angeles home. Prince Harry compared the media's invasion of his wife's privacy with the experiences of his mother, Diana. Credit:AP

Questioning claims that the Duchess called him 20 times when he was in hospital, the defence alleges Mr Markle did not receive “any cards or well wishes” and even contradicts the Duchess’s claim that she funded herself through university, saying: “Mr Markle had supported the claimant throughout her childhood and youth. He had paid her private school fees. He had paid all her college tuition, and after she left Northwestern University he continued to pay off her student loans, even after she had landed a well-paid role in Suits.” Loading The court papers state: “Following the publication of the People interview and reports of the People interview, neither the existence nor the contents of the letter were confidential. “Mr Markle was also entitled publicly to correct the false and damaging (to him) information that had been given about his conduct in the People interview, and to have as much of the Letter and its contents published as was necessary for that purpose.” The defence also alleges that Mr Markle has not heard from his daughter since August 2018, when she sent the “immaculately copied out” and “self-congratulatory” letter.