The Duchess of Sussex has won the latest stage in her legal fight against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

The Court of Appeal rejected Associated Newspapers' attempt to have a trial over its publication of extracts from Meghan's letter to her father.

A High Court judge previously ruled in favour of the duchess in the privacy and copyright case.

Meghan said it was a win "not just for me, but for anyone who has ever felt scared to stand up for what's right".

In a statement issued after the ruling, the duchess said: "In the nearly three years since this began, I have been patient in the face of deception, intimidation and calculated attacks."

She added: "The courts have held the defendant to account and my hope is that we all begin to do the same. Because as far removed as it may seem from your personal life, it's not. Tomorrow it could be you.

"These harmful practices don't happen once in a blue moon - they are a daily fail that divide us and we all deserve better."

Meghan's lawyers told the court her letter to Thomas Markle in August 2018 was "deeply personal" and "self-evidently was intended to be kept private".

The judges were told during the hearing that 585 out of the letter's 1,250 words had been republished in the five articles in question.

Announcing their decision, the three judges hearing the appeal said the letter's contents were "personal, private and not matters of legitimate public interest".

Earlier this year, the High Court had found the issues in the case were so clear cut that there was no need for a full hearing.

And on Thursday, judges at the appeal said it was hard to see what evidence at a trial that would have altered the situation.

They added: "The judge had correctly decided that, whilst it might have been proportionate to publish a very small part of the letter for that purpose, it was not necessary to publish half the contents of the letter."