Meghan Markle’s rebrand as ‘California royalty’ threatened by legal fight with estranged half-sister: expert

Meghan Markle’s family drama continues to bother her for a long time after the Royal Exit.

In 2022, Samantha Markle, the estranged half-sister of the Duchess of Sussex, sued her allegedly slandered her in multiple interviews, including a 2021 full-time effort with Oprah Winfrey. The case was dismissed in 2024 for bias, which means Samantha cannot file a claim again. Fox News Digital University learned that senior citizens appealed the firing and planned to hold a verbal debate in Jacksonville, Florida on September 9.

British Royal Expert Hillary Fordwich Tell Fox News Digital that while Meghan is out of royal life and tries to move forward, she can’t escape her ongoing family turmoil.

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“Meghan Markle has done everything he can to rebrand his brand As some kind of California royal family Ford Wich claimed that he was eager to falsify his new identity. This will thwart these efforts. Regarding her own father, former Hollywood Lighting Director Thomas Markle, has such deep-rooted pain that this situation makes the possibility of any reconciliation far from that. ”

“These constant complaints can create a huge gap,” Fordwich added.

A spokesman for Archewell, who is in charge of the Duchess of Sussex’s office, told Fox News Digital that they will not comment on ongoing legal disputes.

“Attorneys representing Samantha Markle and Meghan Markle will be given to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeal. Since both sides have completely briefly introduced their location, we won’t learn much from either side. However, we can get a good idea of ​​the questions raised from the three panels of judges. ”

“After the oral debate, the judge will attend the meeting and determine whether the case should be revoked and returned to the trial judge, or whether the judge’s ruling should be confirmed,” he said. “As the entire question should be resolved as a legal issue, all the allegations of the complaint are deemed to be correct for this purpose, so there is a high probability that the court will revoke the trial judge.”

“The problem is, assuming all the allegations in the complaint are true, is that a false allegation that Samantha is part of a group of racists who are attacking Meghan Markle, enough to slander under Florida law?” Ticktin added.

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In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex took a step back as senior royals, citing the unbearable invasions by the British media and the lack of support from the palace.

As the couple moves to CaliforniaMegan has been building her business empire. Her lifestyle brand, as always, launched earlier this year. Season 2 of her lifestyle series, “Meghan” premiered on August 26.

Samantha, 60, claimed in her original document that Meghan, 44, made a defamatory statement in an interview with Winfrey when she said she “growed up as an only child.” People Magazine Report. Samantha argued that she and Meghan were “close in childhood” but dispersed after Meghan began dating Prince Harry.

According to the media, Samantha also claimed that there was a defamatory effect when Meghan said in the same interview that Samantha “changed her last name to Markle.” After she started dating Harry. District Court Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell determined in a 2023 ruling that she told Oprah that she was protected by “growing up as a child living alone”.

“As a reasonable audience, it will understand, [the] The defendant simply expressed his opinion on her childhood and relationship with her half-siblings. Therefore, the court held that the defendant’s statements could not be objectively verified or empirically proved,” Honeywell wrote.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Fox News Digital that Meghan’s family was estranged over her, casting a shadow over her efforts to reinvent herself as an entrepreneur.

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“One of Megan’s strange features is that she plays so ruthlessly positive, but seems to be with her mother only,” he claimed. “One of the reasons she struggles at work is that people don’t buy it. She is not real. Whatever her father’s fault is – they are quite a lot – he really plays a big role in raising her.”

Megan repeatedly accuses Samantha and their father Sell ​​stories to British tabloids.

“I said, ‘I just need you to tell me, if you tell me the truth, we can help,’ he can’t do that,'” Megan recalls Winfrey71, about talking to the father and the paparazzi.

Meghan is looking forward to her second child in a TV interview around the world.

“For me, it really resonates, especially now as a mother,” she said. “I looked at Archie and I thought of this kid [on the way]I really can’t imagine doing anything intentionally causing pain to my children. I can’t imagine it. Therefore, it is difficult for me to reconcile. ”

Megan also talked about her to the TV host’s sister: “I think it’s hard to tell everyone when you don’t know me. And, I mean, it’s a lot different from my dad, when you talk about betrayal, betrayal comes from you having someone you have a relationship, right? People I really don’t know, I don’t know I’m a person, but I only know one person.

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Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital Disputes involving family members The harm to any public figure out more harm than good.

He explained: “He said/she said family disputes are often like a tangled extension; no matter how you twist, pull or relax, it seems to get tighter and more puzzling.”

“You don’t know where the starting point or the ending is,” he said. “I’m going to say that others should reconcile with their family, but I’ll say that whenever you choose to file a lawsuit or publicize your family’s problems in front of a global jury of your peers, it never brings a win. Everyone loses.”

Watch: Meghan Markle will never win the British public again

Eldridge notes that quarrels will only play a role on the world stage.

“Megan married the royal familywhich means a lifetime of media coverage. “In the past, she also sought media attention strategically in order to attract sympathy from the audience and readers,” he said. However, the media spotlight has always been a two-way street. If you always use microphones and stages to demean others while positioning yourself as a victim, you must understand that, ultimately, you will also be the subject of allegations and even lawsuits. ”

He warned: “The court has regulations, standards and protocols; the court does not.”

Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner argued to Fox News Digital that Meghan was unfair.

“It’s Meghan’s open season,” he claimed. “Obviously, there’s a big goal on her back…she can get rid of her worries, build a relationship again, and then… keep the brand floating while caring for Harry and the kids?…she has the ability to do that. She’s very strong and unwavering. I hope she wins the fight and the war.”

Meghan and Harry Her Lifestyle Series on Netflix.