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Meghan Markle has claimed that the Daily Mail crossed "clear ethical boundaries" by reporting from the hospital room of her father, from whom she is estranged, after his assertions that he had not gotten his daughter's messages.

A Public Appeal and a Secret Effort

Thomas Markle appealed to Meghan to visit him in a weekend interview, after having serious surgery abroad.

However, a representative for Meghan said that she had been trying to contact her father and censured the publication's actions.

"Considering a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father’s bedside the entire time, broadcasting each exchange and breaching obvious ethical lines, it has been extremely hard for the royal to contact her father privately, notwithstanding her efforts over the past few days," the spokesperson said. "Thanks to trusted contacts, her message is now securely in his hands."

Outlet's Denial

A representative for the publishing group of the newspapers rejected any ethical breach and stated that Mr. Markle was a friend of the reporter who spoke with him.

"When Thomas Markle was taken ill in the Philippines he contacted the journalist and requested she travel to be with him," said the spokesman. "As well as being a journalist, Caroline Graham has been friends with Mr Markle since 2018. She has been with Mr Markle in hospital every day, providing him with care and support."

The company representative continued, "The claim is completely false that each interaction has been broadcast, and the allegation that journalistic ethics were violated is demonstrably false and strongly contested."

Background of Estrangement

The row comes a tense few days in which Meghan is understood to have been attempting to reach her father. Her team say they had faced challenges to locate him or establish a method to reach him directly.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since 2018, when she married Prince Harry. Their relationship further deteriorated when a personal letter she wrote to him, extracts of which were printed in the Mail on Sunday, an act she said "marked the end of our relationship, not a reconciliation."

Forthcoming Court Case

This disagreement precedes by weeks the Duke of Sussex is due to begin a legal case against the publisher of the Daily Mail over allegations of unlawful information gathering.

In that court case, set for next month, the publisher is being sued by Prince Harry and a group of high-profile individuals. The claimants contend the newspaper group engaged in unlawful activities. The publisher vehemently denies all allegations.