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The Duchess of Sussex found out on Thursday that her court action against the publishers of The Mail on Sunday had been successful.
The newspaper published extracts from a letter she sent to her dad Thomas, with Lord Justice Warby ruling it was a breach of her privacy and copyright.
According to The Daily Telegraph, aides in the royal household had advised her not to sue - vindicating her and Harry's decision to quit last year.
A pal told the newspaper: “This action would not have got to this point if they were still working members of the Royal family and were not financing it independently.”
It is estimated that the case could cost Associated Newspapers up to £5million after the judge elected not to proceed with a full trial.
Meghan has pledged to give any sum she is awarded to charity.
Buckingham Palace was said to be far from thrilled at the prospect of a high-profile court case which would have seen Meghan confront her dad Thomas.
The source told The Telegraph: "I don’t think it shows a desire for litigation but their resolve for seeking integrity and truth – where others would be encouraged to let things slide. That’s their driver.”
If a trial had gone ahead, Meghan, Thomas and four Buckingham Palace insiders - known as the Palace Four - were set to give evidence.
The four were claimed to be willing to testify, but Buckingham Palace reportedly said it would have been "unfair" to put them through the "stresses and strains".
Associated Newspapers is considering an appeal after voicing its surprise at the ruling.
On Thursday, the judge granted Meghan a summary judgement for most but not all of her claim after her lawyers argued the newspaper group had "no prospect" of defending her claim for misuse of private information.
After the result was announced, Meghan issued an emotional statement in which she thanked Harry, Doria and her legal team for their "unrelenting support throughout this process".
She said she wanted to share her victory "with each of you", saying that we "all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better".
She wrote: "After two long years of pursuing litigation, I am grateful to the courts for holding Associated Newspapers and the Mail On Sunday to account for their illegal and dehumanising practices.
"These tactics - and those of their sister publications MailOnline and the Daily Mail - are not new.
"In fact, they've been going on for far too long without consequence. For these outlets, it's a game.
"For me and so many others, it's real life, real relationships and very real sadness. The damage they have done and continue to do runs deep.
"The world needs reliable, fact-checked, high-quality news. What the Mail On Sunday and its partner publications do is the opposite.
"We now know, and hope it creates legal precedent, that you cannot take somebody's privacy and exploit it in a privacy case, as the defendant has blatantly done over the past two years.
"I share this victory with each of you - because we all deserve justice and truth, and we all deserve better.
"I particularly want to thank my husband, mom and legal team, and especially (her solicitor) Jenny Afia for her unrelenting support throughout this process."
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