Meghan Markle speaks out after an investigator revealed he leaked her private information

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, have spoken out regarding the “predatory practices” of the U.K. tabloids after an American private investigator revealed that U.K. tabloid The Sun paid him to illegally obtain private information about the Duchess, which led to the tabloid publishing critical stories about her, including her half-sister Samantha and her estranged father Thomas Markle.

PI Daniel “Danno” Portley-Hanks told The New York Times and the BBC that Rupert Murdoch-owned The Sun paid him a sum of $2,055 in 2016 when Meghan still lived in Toronto to obtain her phone number, addresses and U.S. social security number in addition to details on her family members. His report also included information on her ex-husband and a former boyfriend. The New York Times and the BBC have both independently reviewed his invoice to The Sun’s U.S. editor James Beal.

"Pretty much everything I found out they could find out themselves using legal means - with the exception of the social security numbers,” he told the BBC.

"When you have that information… it's the key to the kingdom."

Now Harry and Meghan are speaking out. “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex feel that today is an important moment of reflection for the media industry and society at large, as this investigative report shows that the predatory practices of days past are still ongoing, reaping irreversible damage for families and relationships," a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said in a statement.

"They are grateful to those working in media who stand for upholding the values of journalism, which are needed now more than ever before."

The New York Times has reported that licensed PIs like Portley-Hanks have the right to access such information on behalf of clients using restricted databases, but it becomes illegal when they pass the details found in those databases to news organizations in exchange for money.

For their part, The Sun denies that they ever requested Portley-Hanks to provide them with illegally-obtained information. The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, told The New York Times in a statement it had made a "legitimate request" to Portley-Hanks to research details on Markle and her relatives but never asked for information such as her U.S. social security number. "He was instructed clearly in writing to act lawfully and he signed a legal undertaking that he would do so," the statement said.

Portley-Hanks refutes that statement, telling The New York Times that James Beal told him to go ahead "with a nod and a wink."

"I strongly believe that James Beal knew that what I was providing him was obtained illegally," he wrote in an affidavit given to Harry’s lawyers.

As for Portley-Hanks, he is remorseful for his actions and provided an apology to the Sussexes and Queen Elizabeth. Speaking with Byline Investigates, he said, “I'm sorry to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry for targeting her family, particularly her dad, on behalf of The Sun. I never wanted to cause Meghan Markle harm, and wouldn't have done the job if I'd have known it would lead to all these problems."

"I also wanted to take this opportunity to apologise to The Queen, because I realise the harm of what I did for The Sun has affected the whole family."

Rupert Murdoch, who owns The Sun, was famously embroiled in the U.K. phone-hacking scandal in 2011 where his tabloid News of the World (which has since folded) used illegal means to hack the phones of celebrities, royalty, and top politicians.

Harry told James Corden recently that the “toxic” U.K. media was a big reason in their decision to leave Britain, and he is currently embroiled in a lawsuit with The Sun over another phone hacking incident prior to 2011.

Meghan recently won a court case against the publisher that owns The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, and MailOnline for breaching her privacy when it published excerpts from a letter she wrote to her estranged father.

In their recent sit-down with Oprah, the Sussexes said the U.K. tabloids created a “toxic environment” of “control and fear” which led to them choosing to leave Britain. 

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