Meghan Markle’s Half-sister Samantha Markle Renews Legal Battle

The feud between the Markle sisters intensifies as Samantha, Meghan Markle‘s half-sister, files new legal documents to sue the former actress for defamation.

Samantha previously had her defamation claims dismissed by a court but is now seeking to appeal the judge’s ruling.

In her filing, Samantha Markle‘s lawyers claim that she has suffered several emotional and personal losses since Meghan Markle made comments about her in her Netflix series and 2021 Oprah interview.

Just when it seemed the dust had settled on Meghan’s court drama with her half-sister Samantha, the latter is back again with another suit against the Duchess of Sussex.

Samantha is now appealing a previous ruling that dismissed her defamation claims, where she had sought a $75,000 payout as damages for public comments made about her by Meghan.

When the case was dismissed, the judge had ruled that Samantha had failed to “plausibly allege that they are defamatory in the first place.”

However, the 59-year-old is opting for another attempt, arguing that Meghan’s comments about her being a “lying, racist, fame-seeker” have damaged her reputation and led to personal losses.

“She destroyed Samantha publicly and on a global scale,” the filing read, per The Sun. “She has made it so Samantha cannot work or even enjoy the most mundane of activities, like going to the grocery store, without harassment.”

Samantha’s previous lawsuit against Meghan was dismissed with prejudice, preventing a simple refiling.

Her legal team is challenging this decision, contending that the judge overlooked “implied defamation created by omitted facts.” In the filing, they also mentioned that the duchess portrayed their client as someone “who is out to harm.”

Samantha’s legal team targeted Meghan’s previous statement that she did not have much of a relationship with the 59-year-old during their childhood.

They argue this claim was a deliberate attempt to undermine Samantha’s book about Meghan. They also mentioned that it forced the 59-year-old to become the target of “relentless torment online.”

It remains unclear when a hearing would be held for the case. However, Samantha’s lawyers are pushing for an “oral argument,” emphasizing that the issues at hand might require “some clarification.”

In April, it was reported that Samantha intends to drag the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, into her legal fight with Meghan.

News broadcaster Dan Wootton took to X (formerly Twitter) at the time to claim that Samantha’s lawyer plans to ask Kate, who is currently battling cancer, “to provide a witness statement.”

In a follow-up tweet, Wootton wrote, “Sam Markle stresses Catherine’s cancer recovery is a priority, saying: ‘I think it’s important everyone knows that this was out there by my attorney before anyone was aware of her health challenges. We want to be respectful of that, and her recovery is a priority.'”

As of this writing, it is unclear if the princess has been contacted to provide a statement.

Samantha’s legal suit was filed days before Meghan turned 43. While there was likely a private celebration of the milestone in Meghan’s home with her husband, the royal family seemingly snubbed the occasion.

No congratulatory messages were posted on the official royal website or social media accounts, a pattern consistent with Meghan’s 42nd birthday last year.

According to the Daily Mail, some royal aides claimed the lack of recognition was due to the palace only acknowledging the birthdays of working royals.

However, this does not seem to align with past practices of royal family members. In 2022, despite Meghan and Harry no longer being senior royals, Prince William and Kate publicly celebrated the duchess’ 41st birthday on X. King Charles III, then the Prince of Wales, also congratulated Meghan.

According to a former palace staffer, Grant Harold, the lack of a public birthday does not mean Meghan did not receive any private ones from the royal family.

“They will rise above everything that has happened because at the end of the day, they are still family,” Harrold told the New York Post. “I don’t think that will change certainly, despite everything that’s happened.”

Harrold also hinted that Meghan might have received a gift from the palace, although he played down the possibility of it being a lavish one.

He added, “They say blood is thicker than water so I think all the family will send their wishes and possibly a gift.”

Regarding how Meghan might have celebrated her birthday, Harold claimed that Harry possibly had a cookout at their Montecito mansion and invited their friends for a good time together.

He described the Invictus Games founder as a “good cook,” adding that he is sure  Harry “celebrated” his wife.