The Duchess of Sussex told how she felt "unprotected by the institution of the monarchy" during her pregnancy in new documents filed by her lawyers; ELLE.com has seen the documents in her privacy case against the Associated Press and the Mail on Sunday newspaper. The Duchess has been under media onslaught since the beginning of her relationship with Prince Harry and has been "barred from defending herself" after marrying into the royal family.

"Plaintiff has been the subject of numerous false and damaging articles by the British tabloid media, particularly the Defendants, causing her tremendous emotional distress and damage to her mental health," her lawyers said in new court documents.

The documents were revealed in the latest procedural motion filed by Meghan's lawyers in response to a request for additional information from the Mail on Sunday, the third in the ongoing litigation.

The Duchess is suing the Mail on Sunday and Associated Newspapers for invasion of privacy, misuse of personal information, and copyright infringement for the publication in the Mail on Sunday of portions of handwritten letters she sent to her father without her permission.

Sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told ELLE.com that "this gross violation of any person's right to privacy is clear and illegal." The documents submitted by Duchess Meghan's lawyers "provide evidence that refutes the core of what is alleged in the Mail on Sunday case," the source added.

Her lawyers also addressed questions surrounding the participation of five of her friends in a February 2019 article in People magazine. They were concerned that Meghan faced press bullying on an almost daily basis; one of the five friends had known the Duchess for more than 20 years and knew her father, but "had never seen her in this state, especially when she was pregnant, not protected by the system, and prohibited from defending herself. He was naturally concerned for her well-being, especially as she was pregnant, unprotected by the system, and prohibited from defending herself," the court documents stated.

The documents filed also dispel any doubt that Meghan was aware of her friends' participation before the article was published and that they acted out of concern for her well-being. Meghan's close friends, both those who had visited her in England and those who had not, were equally concerned about her mental health and wanted to help."

Sources close to the Sussexes told ELLE.com, "The Mail's defense relies heavily on the falsehood that the Duchess allowed or arranged for her friends to tell People magazine about the letter to her father. They argue that because the Duchess allowed her friends to tell her about the letter, she waived her right to privacy. Our response sets forth in absolute detail to prove that this is categorically untrue."

The latest court documents also describe the "frustration" that Meghan and her friends felt that Kensington Palace's communications operation did not defend Meghan more forcefully when she was being falsely attacked by the media.

"All friends and family of the plaintiffs were obliged to say 'no comment' when contacted by any media outlet, despite misinformation being provided to the British tabloids about the plaintiffs by the KP communications team," Princess Meghan's latest court documents from her lawyers.

In addition, "if the plaintiff had been asked or given the opportunity to participate, she would have asked KP's communications team to say on the record that she was not involved in the People magazine article." He stated.

Further details of Prince Harry and Meghan's relationship with their now estranged father were also revealed in the latest procedural documents in the case. The documents show the extent to which Harry and Meghan went to protect their father in the lead up to their marriage. The documents also reveal that Prince Harry and Archie have never met their estranged father, Thomas Markle.

The couple booked flights, hotels, and made other arrangements to protect his privacy prior to the wedding. They also made an appointment for a suit fitting with an L.A. tailor under a false name to protect Mr. Markle's identity, who was being stalked by the tabloids in advance of the Duke and Duchess' May 2018 wedding. They arranged for a personal assistant to make sure he was comfortable despite the intense scrutiny he faced. The relationship eventually fell apart when her father participated in a series of staged photos with the L.A. paparazzi and multiple paid interviews with various news organizations. Markle, who suffered a heart attack days before the wedding, pulled out of the wedding after the staged photos became public, not wanting to further embarrass his daughter. Court documents detail Meghan's efforts to contact her father on the eve of the wedding and her repeated phone calls despite reports to the contrary.

No court date has been set, but Associated Newspapers has vowed to vigorously defend itself against the Duchess of Sussex's legal claims, and allegations continue The Mail on Sunday's premise that Princess Meghan's letter was edited to change its meaning The Mail on Sunday disputes the Meghan has declared that if she wins the case, she will donate to an anti-bullying charity.

A source close to the Sussexes told ELLE.com, "Throughout this process, the extremes to which the Mail on Sunday used distortionary, manipulative, and dishonest tactics to target the Duchess of Sussex were on full display."