Meghan Markle believes Royal Wedding made £1BILLION tourism cash for Britain
MEGHAN Markle claims her Royal Wedding made Britain £1billion in tourism cash, bombshell court papers reveal.
The Duchess of Sussex, 38, believes the money raised from the wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018 “far outweighed” the contribution stumped up by the taxpayer towards security.
Meghan’s legal team have also said the royal wedding was “not, in fact, publicly funded, but rather personally financed by HRH The Prince of Wales”.
In a submission made by her team, it added: “Any public costs incurred for the wedding were solely for security and crowd control to protect members of the public, as deemed necessary by Thames Valley Police and the Metropolitan Police.”
The revelations were revealed in legal papers filed in the ongoing case between Meghan Markle and Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over an article in The Mail On Sunday which reproduced parts of a handwritten note she had sent to her father Thomas Markle in August 2018.
The bombshell legal documents claim:
- Meghan was 'unprotected' by the 'institution' of the Royal Family
- Pals were left 'concerned for her welfare, specifically as she was pregnant'
- Meghan wrote to her father to protect him from the press and did not say he had 'victimised' her
- Meghan believes her wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor in 2018 generated £1billion in tourism revenue
Consulting firm Brand Finance has previously estimated the royal wedding would bring in around £300million through tourism to the UK and the £1bn figure would only be reached if other sectors of the economy such as retail and fashion were factored in.
It estimated an overall boost to the UK economy of £1.05bn, which also included £300m in public relations value, £250m for retail and restaurants, £150m for the fashion industry and £50million in merchandise.
VisitBritain also estimated around 50,000 Americans were in the crowds lining the roads around Windsor as well as in London.
Retailers in the capital estimated a sales boom to the tune of £60m.
Airbnb expected people would rake in £12m from renting out their properties, while extended hours for pubs meant an estimated £10million sales boost according to the British Beer and Pub Association.
The papers also reveal Meghan claimed she felt 'unprotected' by the 'institution' of the Royal Family and could not defend herself against false claims levelled against her.
Previously there had been talk of a split between the Cambridge and Sussex households before Harry and Meghan stepped down from royal life.
The documents also say she felt 'unprotected' by the 'institution' of the Royal Family while she was pregnant.
They claim she had "become the subject of a large number of false and damaging articles" in UK newspapers, specifically by Associated Newspapers titles, which caused "tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health".
Meghan is suing ANL for publishing the personal letter to her dad - although the media group claims Mr Markle made it public after five of her pals gave an interview about it to People magazine.
The Duchess today named the pals - although they are only referred to as A, B, C, D and E in the papers - and they could now be called to testify at a trial.
People magazine previously described them as "Meghan's inner circle – a longtime friend, a former co-star, a friend from LA, a one-time colleague and a close confidante'".
The possible trial would focus on whether Meghan had a reasonable expectation of privacy in the contents of the letter to her dad.
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In further revelations the documents claim she should have been allowed to do paid work as Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie can earn a private income.
The Princesses - the children of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson - are not 'working royals' and are under no obligation to attend royal events.
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Beatrice works in finance and consulting and Eugenie is a director at a London art gallery.
