Meghan Markle's legal battle with Samantha Markle may not be over, as the Duchess of Sussex's estranged half-sister is pursuing an appeal.
According to GB News, Samantha's lawyers have filed an appeal against a judge in March's decision to dismiss her defamation lawsuit against Meghan. Court documents obtained by Page Six indicated that Samantha "failed to identify any statements that could support a claim for defamation or defamation-by-implication" in Meghan and Prince Harry's 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The judge also found no defamatory comments in the Sussexes' Netflix docuseries, "Meghan & Harry," or royal author Omid Scobie's "Finding Freedom". Samantha's lawsuit against the former "Suits" star was unfairly dismissed, so she cannot simply file another claim.
"Notice is hereby given that the Plaintiff, Samantha M. Markle, by and through her undersigned counsel, appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from the Order Granting Defendants, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Motion to Dismiss entered by the Honorable Charlene Edwards Honeywell on March 12, 2024," read a court filing cited by GB News.
Samantha sued Meghan for $75,000 in March 2022, alleging that she defamed her with "false and malicious statements" during the Oprah interview. These statements included Meghan's alleged claims that she grew up as an "only child" and that Samantha changed her name back to Markle after she started dating Prince Harry to "cash in on her newfound fame."
Samantha also claimed that Meghan lied about her childhood to create a "false rags-to-royalty narrative." Meghan's lawyers responded to the lawsuit, calling it "meritless" and saying it had "no place" in any court.
"Courts are not equipped to adjudicate the legitimacy of a person's feelings about their childhood and relationships. Nor should they be," the duchess' attorneys said in June 2022 court documents obtained by Page Six.
Samantha revealed in an interview with former GB News host Dan Wootton that she intends to request a witness statement from Princess Kate to pursue her defamation lawsuit.
However, the author of "Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister" emphasized that Princess Kate's cancer "recovery is a priority." "I think it's important everyone knows that this was out there by my attorney before anyone was aware of her health challenges," Samantha explained.
She was referring to her lawyer Peter Ticktin's statement on Wootton's talk show "Outspoken" on March 18 about possibly having Middleton give a deposition amid rumors about her strained relationship with Meghan.
"I felt that Catherine might have some very important light to shed on what had occurred because obviously something is really really wrong between these two," Ticktin told Wootton, referring to Princess Kate and Meghan.
Just days after the lawyer's comment, Prince William's wife revealed in a video message that she had been diagnosed with cancer and had begun preventative chemotherapy. Princess Kate has not been seen publicly since the March 22 announcement, nor has she provided any further updates on her condition.
However, The Telegraph reports that Queen Camilla discussed Middleton's feelings while greeting well-wishers at a royal engagement on March 27. King Charles' wife reportedly said, "I know Kate is thrilled by all the kind wishes and support."
Meanwhile, while two senior members of the Royal Family, King Charles and Princess Kate, recover from recent cancer diagnoses, experts have speculated on whether this difficult time presents an opportunity for reconciliation for Prince Harry, his wife Meghan Markle, and the rest of the Royal Family.
A royal expert has claimed that the best way to try to heal family wounds is to extend an olive branch to the respective royal parties. Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, gave the Duke and Duchess of Sussex a simple instruction, as reported by The Sun.
"The best way of resolving the rift, if it is to be resolved, is to do so privately," Richard said. He added that the recent illnesses have been a huge "game changer" in terms of resolving family issues. Earlier this year, Princess Kate shocked the world by releasing an emotional video in which she revealed that she was undergoing chemotherapy as a form of cancer prevention.
"The two very senior members of the royal family, are very, are seriously ill, and you can't really predict what's what's going to happen. So, as I say, the Sussexes do spring surprises. This has happened before, and you never know what might happen in the coming weeks or months," Richard stated.
This comes as Prince Harry prepares to return to the UK next month to mark the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games on May 8. The event is set to take place at St Paul's Cathedral. The first of these games, which are intended for sick and injured servicemen and women, took place in London in 2014 and was co-founded by the Duke of Sussex.
