
Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha Markle, is once again taking legal action against the Duchess of Sussex. In the Suits star's explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, the actress made disparaging comments about her family being fame-hungry, angering Samantha, who is 17 years her senior.
Samantha went on to sue Meghan for defamation, and while her case was dismissed with prejudice, she has the opportunity to make an oral argument in September as part of her attempt to appeal the dismissal. Now there are concerns that the legal back-and-forth could negatively impact Meghan's relationship with her husband, Prince Harry, and his attempts to reconcile with his estranged family.
"More legal disputes between Meghan and Samantha could break the fragile links between Harry and Meghan, trying to establish a way forward," royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News. "The royals are hyper-sensitive toward any legal issues in America, resulting in any more secrets coming out to the detriment of the royals in the U.K."
"This could be misconstrued as a timely action by Samantha Markle as she sees her half-sister on the ropes regarding [her show on] Netflix and a glimmer of hope to be reconnected with the royal family," Turner continued.
Echoed royal expert Hilary Fordwich, "There is nothing good about this for Meghan Markle. Her reputation is tarnished further by her own sister making such allegations. Whether true or not, it doesn't matter, as neither way does it reflect well."
Samantha has accused Meghan of making "demonstrably false and malicious statements" about their dynamic. She alleges that Meghan's comments about their relationship have caused her to face both "humiliation and hatred." While a judge initially sided with Meghan over her, Samantha is now appealing the case in Florida.
Samantha's lawyer, Peter Ticktin, told Fox News, "The District Court judge, an Obama appointee, dismissed the lawsuit brought by Samantha Markle against her sister Meghan Markle, finding that there was no case. This decision was wrong, and now, we are tasked with convincing a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals of how our case was solid."
"Of course, we differ from the District Court judge, or we would have never brought the case in the first place," he continued. "We are hoping and somewhat expecting that the panel of three judges on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals will see the error by the lower court and reverse the dismissal."
While Samantha continues to drag her sister in court, Meghan is busy building her As Ever brand and social media following.