Two years after the broadcast of the controversial and long-awaited interview between Henry of England and Meghan Markle with Oprah Winfrey, the Duchess of Sussex’s comments about her family are back in the news. 17 million Americans followed the conversation between the presenter and the couple hoping to learn more about their departure from the British royal family, and they did not disappoint the audience with accusations of racism and mental health problems included. Some statements that, as expected, did not sit well within the British monarchy or in the Markle family. The sister of the exactriz denounced her in March 2022 for the alleged defamations that she pronounced in the interview. This Wednesday, February 15, the first oral hearing was held in which it was possible to hear the version of both parties through their lawyers.
Samantha Markle, 58, and sister on the father’s side of the Duchess of Sussex, 41, has been claiming all this time that what Meghan said in that interview is a “big lie” that has been invented to sell a sweetened story. of what his life has really been. In the legal documents that, at the time, were obtained by US media such as page sixSamantha accuses Meghan of making “false and malicious statements” during the broadcast, but also in the unofficial biography of the media couple finding freedom, published in the summer of 2020. One of the problems with the complaint filed by Samantha is that of the 10 points she claims in the complaint, seven correspond to the book, which was not even written or published by the duchess.
During that first hearing, which was carried out electronically, Samantha Markle did connect, but her younger sister was only represented by her lawyers. Peter Tickting, lawyer for the plaintiff, stated during the hearing that Meghan caused “great damage” to her client and that, after the interview with Winfrey, she was subjected to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a global scale” . “They found out. She was lying. Her father paid for her education. Why humiliate her sister more? Why humiliate her father? Why is she saying that her family hasn’t done good things for her in her life? She is denying it to cover that she made up this narrative that she went from rags to riches, which is nonsense, probably without even realizing the harm she would do to her sister,” Tictking said. And he added: “Probably never realizing that it would put an innocent person on the trigger where all of a sudden she has hundreds of threats on her life, and a stalker that she had to deal with.”
Earlier this month of February, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex received a first blow related to this complaint: the Florida federal court judge handling the case dismissed their request to stop the statements and both will have to go, separately, if are cited by lawyers. “Meghan fails to show that there are unusual circumstances that would justify the requested stay, or that there is prejudice or undue hardship if the court does not impose a stay,” Charlene Edwards Honeywell ruled. So if Samantha’s lawyers consider it necessary for the Duchess to testify, she will not be able to refuse.
The complaint states that, in the conversation with Winfrey, Meghan maintained that she “had no relationship with her sister, that they were virtual strangers.” Samantha points out that her sister came to define herself as an “only child” and that she tried to sell the world the story that she rose to fame out of nowhere. “Meghan falsely claimed that she raised herself basically in poverty, and that she was forced to work from the age of 13 in low-paying jobs to ‘make ends meet,’” she says in the lawsuit. Therefore, she Samantha has demanded 75,000 dollars – about 70,000 euros. Although at first the lawyer for the dukes described the complaint as “absurd and without foundation”, this, for the moment, continues.
But the fight between sisters comes from much earlier. Samantha — 17 years older than the former star suit— has always had her in his sights, expressing his animosity in interviews, letters and even books, where he accuses her of being “cold and calculating”. When Harry and Meghan were still full members of the British royal family, Scotland Yard put her on its “people to watch” list because of the risk she posed to the Windsors. In fact, she wasn’t even invited to the dukes’ wedding.
It does not seem that this litigation will end in a few weeks, when the judge makes a decision on whether the complaint finally reaches trial or is filed. Samantha’s lawyer has already warned that if the case is dismissed they could sue the duchess again for including those statements from the interview with Winfrey in the documentary series released on Netflix last December.
