Meet Samantha Markle: she shares a father with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and changed her name to Markle when Prince Harry entered the picture – but what’s her beef with her half-sister?

Nov 28 , 2024

Samantha has been a critic of her royal sibling and recently lost a defamation case against her; she suffers from multiple sclerosis, has been married at least twice and has three children

Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle, is back in the headlines after an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, in which she once again delved into details of the long-standing Markle family feud. And yet again it was Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who was at the centre of Samantha’s remarks.

Samantha previously made headlines in March 2022 when she sued Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, for defamation over comments made during the couple’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey and their 2022 Netflix series Harry & Meghan. At the time, she sought US$75,000 in damages, but this year a US court dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning Samantha cannot refile the same complaint against the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle, at the Invictus Games in the Netherlands in April 2022. Photo: TNS

Not content to let the decision rest, however, Samantha is fighting the ruling at the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

In a more recent incident, Prince Harry came under attack from Samantha and her legal team. While discussing the recent appeal, Samantha’s lawyer, Peter Ticktin, told Newsweek: “To most of us, Americans, we couldn’t give a tinker’s damn as to whether that prince is the Duke of Wales, the Duke of Sussex, or the Duke of Earl … In fact, I wish I could say it was simply a spelling mistake when he should have been the Duke of Wails.” The official title of Harry’s brother, Prince William, is Prince of Wales. Ticktin also suggested Harry, whom he accused of trying to control free speech, should be given the name “Minister of Fiction”.

So who is Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha, who was not invited to the royal wedding and who once earned the moniker “vulture” from former Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan?

Samantha and Meghan Markle have the same father

Meghan Markle and her father Thomas Markle in happier times. Photo: @timelessmagg/Instagram

Samantha, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday, and Meghan, 43, are the daughters of retired television lighting director and director of photography Thomas Markle – who is also estranged from his royal daughter.

Samantha was born to Thomas and his first wife, Roslyn. The pair were married for a little more than a decade, divorcing in 1973. During their marriage, they also welcomed Samantha’s younger brother, Thomas Markle Jr.

After their separation Thomas wed Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in 1979. The couple welcomed daughter Rachel Meghan Markle – now the duchess – in 1981 but called it quits in 1987.

Samantha Markle has multiple sclerosis

Samantha Markle suffers from multiple sclerosis. Photo: @kembricistan/Instagram