Judge Rules Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Must Respond To Sister Samantha's Lawsuit

In March 2022, Samantha Markle, the estranged half-sister of Meghan Markle, lodged a defamation lawsuit against her over claims the Duchess of Sussex made in her infamous Oprah Winfrey interview. As TMZ reported at the time, Samantha accused Meghan of fabricating a "rags to royalty" story to gain favor with the public. In particular, the "Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister Part 1" author took issue with Meghan claiming she'd grown up relatively poor, as an only child.

Samantha subsequently made more disturbing allegations about Meghan, including claiming that she has "actual proof" that the former "Suits" star was lying (via Newsweek). Meghan's attorney initially described the lawsuit as "baseless and absurd," confirming that neither the duchess nor her husband, Prince Harry, would be dignifying it with a response. But a request was quickly filed to dismiss it entirely, with Meghan's legal team arguing that her comments were "subjective."

Despite their best efforts, Samantha persisted and she even called for Harry's testimony in the fiery lawsuit earlier this week. As a result, it seems Meghan's estranged half-sibling will get her wish. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be deposed as part of the lawsuit

A judge has ruled that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be deposed as part of Samantha Markle's ongoing defamation lawsuit against her estranged half-sister. According to CNN, the author accuses Meghan Markle of making "demonstrably false and malicious statements" to Oprah Winfrey, in an interview that was watched by millions of people all over the world. Samantha is seeking damages of over $75,000 as a result. The duchess attempted to have the case dismissed and even filed a motion to stop depositions from happening, but judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell decided that there wasn't sufficient evidence to support her request. 

During an appearance on GB News (via Twitter), royal biographer Tom Bower warned that the former "Suits" star should be highly concerned about this turn of events particularly since it gives weight to Samantha's claims. As he explained, "Meghan is going to have to answer all of Samantha's questions from her lawyers — whether she lied about Samantha or about Thomas Markle in her notorious interview with Oprah Winfrey." 

Aside from claiming they had no relationship growing up, the Duchess of Sussex also contended that her half-sister only started using the surname Markle when she got engaged to Prince Harry. Samantha is seeking a jury trial, which is currently set for next January, per The Irish Mirror. Meghan's estranged father, Thomas Markle, is also expected to be deposed alongside the Sussexes' former communications secretary, Jason Knauf.