After years of controversy revolving around the personal life of Meghan Markle and her family, it's escalated once again. This time, with her half-sister Samantha Markle. A judge recently denied the former Suits actress's second attempt at dismissing a defamation case made by her sister in March 2022.
Meghan and Prince Harry's famous Oprah interview in 2021 brought out several accusations and revelations regarding both Meghan and the royal family. The most controversy came after the couple accused royal family members of racism within the palace. However, Meghan's sister Samantha spoke up about what is and isn't true regarding their family, and is seemingly suing Meghan to prove it.
The two women have never had a close relationship. They are both daughters of Thomas Markle, who notably became a subject of controversy after it was revealed that he had staged photographs for a paparazzi photographer in return for money. Samantha later said it was her idea, but that her father's motivation was not financial but "to show the world that [he's] getting in shape and doing great healthy things." Since this incident, Meghan and Harry have not been in contact with him.
The Lawsuit Was A Result Of Statements Regarding Samantha And The Markle Family
Fox News confirmed that Samantha sued Meghan for defamation "based on demonstrably false and malicious statements." She claimed that Meghan's lies throughout the Oprah interview were designed to destroy her reputation and have subjected her to "humiliation, shame, and hatred on a worldwide scale." She's made several more accusations based on "her lies," including the last time they saw one another, being an only child, and that Meghan claimed Samantha changed her last name after Meghan started dating Prince Harry.
Part of the defamation lawsuit also includes accusations of Meghan damaging their father's reputation "in order to preserve and promote the false 'rags-to-royalty' narrative." She also stated that her father paid for her to attend private schools, acting classes, and college tuition.
Social Media Seems To Only Be Siding With One Person
Throughout the entire ordeal, social media has been siding with Meghan. Since the denial of the second call for the case dismissal, people have continued to tweet their opinions on the matter, saying that Samantha and the entire Markle family are jealous of Meghan's success and connections with royal family members. One user even tweeted, "Reminiscent of the time Samantha Markle pretended she was being chased by paparazzi - no one exploit those children more than their parents."
As of this publication, Prince William and Kate Middleton have not commented on the issue, and no one else in the royal family has released any statements regarding the matter. Thomas Markle has also not commented on the lawsuit.
During the latest dismissal case, Meghan argued that there was no reason to involve a judge on the matters at hand, to which documents said, "We do not empanel juries to rule on whether two people are 'close,' or whether one genuinely feels that they 'grew up as an only child,'" Meghan's docs stated. "Courts are not equipped to adjudicate the legitimacy of a person's feelings about their childhood and relationships. Nor should they be. … This dispute has no place in this Court or any other."