Who are Meghan Markle’s half-siblings? Samantha Markle reportedly sues Prince Harry and Meghan for defamation

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s relationships have been thrown into the spotlight since their Netflix documentary and their respective autobiographies came out as well as the pair baring all in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

While the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced scrutiny from the British media and public since, they are now facing the ultimate grilling as they are reportedly being brought to US court by Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle.

Samantha, who is the daughter of Meghan’s father Thomas Markle Sr, has been said to file papers in the Florida district allegedly suing the royal couple £60,000 for ‘defamation and injurious falsehoods’ from statements made in the Oprah interview.

From Meghan and Harry’s wedding to their tell-all appearances on Netflix and Oprah’s channel, the former TV star has spoken often about her father and her half-sister when discussing her childhood.

In light of this, it has been reported that Samantha has said Meghan’s comments were “demonstrably false and malicious statements” and she was subjected to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale” after around 50 million people watched the 2021 interview in 17 countries.

As part of Samantha’s possible defamation filing, the 58-year-old made a request for Meghan’s husband Prince Harry to give a deposition, for Meghan herself to make 38 separation admissions in the case to take place later this month and for Thomas Markle to make a statement.

Although Meghan allegedly brought forward a motion to stop depositions in the civil case, Florida judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell dismissed the plea, and so the Duke and Duchess are expected to be questioned in the US court, according to the BBC.

Samantha, who has MS and uses a wheelchair, claims that Meghan and Harry’s campaign was ‘premeditated’ in a bid to destroy her and their shared father’s ‘reputation and credibility.’

If the 'Harry and Meghan' documentary did not showcase Meghan's 'fractious' relationship with her estranged half-sister and father enough, this upcoming court case may be the final coup de grace for the family.

Who is Thomas Markle Jr?

Whilst Meghan and Prince Harry have spoken often about Thomas Sr and Samantha in the Oprah interview and the Netflix documentary, the pair seemed to skip past the Suits actress’ half-brother.

Two years ago, the Sun reported that Thomas lived in Oregon and worked as a window fitter, and had been previously arrested in 2017 for allegedly holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head during a drunken row.

Thomas was married for 11 years and has two sons, namely Thomas and Tyler.

When Meghan was born, Thomas was living with Thomas Markle Sr and his step-mother Doria Ragland (Meghan’s mum - who also appeared in ‘Harry and Meghan’).

Samantha Markle may be reportedly suing for defamation regarding the documentary, but Thomas Markle Jr has also previously spoken up about the Netflix production, calling it ‘a little bit disturbing’.

Thomas Jr’s criticism lies with a comment made by Prince Harry about Meghan’s relationship with their father, in which Harry said: “If Meg wasn’t with me, then her dad would still be her dad. She had a father before this, and now she doesn’t have a father. And I shouldered that.”

In response, Thomas told NY Post: “We’ve always been here. The documentary is way off. That’s what’s actually prompted me to work with my own production team and come out in like 2023 our side of a documentary that’s going to shed a lot of light that needs to be shed … it’s going to tell a whole different story.”