Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister, recently accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, of exploiting Princess Diana's legacy for personal publicity.
In a discussion with "7News Spotlight," Samantha voiced her doubts regarding the royal couple's account of being chased by paparazzi for two hours in New York City on May 16, post the Women of Vision Awards. This incident, according to Samantha, appeared to be a dramatized attempt to recall the tragic demise of Princess Diana in 1997 due to a car crash following a paparazzi chase in Paris.
Commenting on their claims, Samantha expressed, "I thought it was a lot of drama, and it seemed to remind me [of] like this repeated invocation of the Diana tragedy. It seems like it's their golden ticket."
Samantha further insinuated that the Sussexes may have overstated their interactions with the paparazzi in their Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan," which debuted in December 2022.
Samantha criticized the couple and Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, who accompanied them on May 16. She said, "I think if anything is scary to the public, it would have been that Doria's makeup was melting."
She went on to label the entire incident as an alleged "PR stunt," expressing her concerns about the constant reference to Princess Diana's memory. Samantha asserted, "I think they have to let her rest."
When asked about Meghan's interaction with her family following a plea from their father, Thomas Markle Sr., for reconciliation during an April 30 7News interview, Samantha revealed that Meghan had not yet reached out.
"No," she affirmed, "And here's the thing, I think my father, like King Charles, [is] always extending the olive branch, even though owning sins is not on them to do so."
International Business Times was unable to independently verify Samantha's assertions.
It's been several years since Meghan has been in contact with her family. Only Meghan's mother attended her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, after her father excused himself from the ceremony due to health issues.
Ashley Hansen, the publicist for Prince Harry and Meghan, responded to the allegations that the couple exaggerated their run-in with the paparazzi for publicity.
Hansen told Page Six in a statement, "Respectfully, considering the duke's family history, one would have to think nothing of the couple or anybody associated with them to believe this was any sort of PR stunt," Hansen told Page Six in a statement. "Quite frankly, I think that's abhorrent."
