Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, is being sued for defamation by her half-sister, who alleges she lied about having a rough upbringing.
According to Page Six, which received copies of the court paperwork, Samantha Markle claims that her half-sister made “false and malicious comments” during her interview with Oprah Winfrey last year.
The litigating half-sibling, who is 17 years older than her royal cousin, accused the duchess of pretending to be “an only child” and lying about the last time they saw one other.
“The defamatory implication is that Plaintiff had no relationship whatsoever with her sister Meghan, they were virtual strangers and that Plaintiff has created a lucrative career selling false stories to tabloids and television programs when she knows nothing about Defendant’s childhood,” reads the filing, per Page Six.
In addition, the enraged plaintiff says that her sister’s revelations about their father, Thomas Markle — including his absence from her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, Duke of Windsor — contributed to his health problems.
“Mr. Markle suffered two heart attacks in the weeks before Defendant’s wedding in May 2018 due to stress associated with the Royal wedding, the constant hounding and harassment by paparazzi and other media, and upsetting text messages he received from Defendant and Prince Harry, and Mr. Markle’s cardiologist told him he was too sick to travel to England for the wedding; Mr. Markle did not refuse to attend the wedding, but was instructed by his doctor not to attend the wedding.”
Samantha Markle is claiming $75,000 plus court and attorney’s fees for what she terms her sister’s “fairy tale life story” as told in her best-selling book, Finding Freedom.
Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote Finding Freedom, a novel on the Royal Couple’s marriage. Meghan Markle apparently contributed to the New York Times bestseller through a third party.
The duchess’ attorney told TMZ, “This baseless and absurd lawsuit is just a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behavior. We will give it the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves.”
