Meghan Markle's priorities are highlighted as she takes the necessary legal action to protect Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have been making headlines since the moment news broke that they were dating. Following that, there were reports of rifts within the Royal Family, which after a period of time was ultimately followed by the couple choosing to take a step back from their Royal duties, and exiting the Royal Family altogether.
That being said, Meghan and Harry could be facing a different issue, for which the former Suits actress has taken necessary steps in order to avert a possibly complicated situation.
Strained family relations
To say that Meghan has had a troubled relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, 78, and half-sister Samantha Markle, 57, is an understatement. Thomas and Samantha have been consistently critical of Meghan ever since the actress started dating Harry.
Samantha is Meghan's half-sister from Thomas' first marriage to Roselyn Loveless, and Thomas Markle Jr. is her half-brother. US Weekly reports that Thomas and Loveless got a divorce in 1973, and he remarried Doria Ragland, Meghan's mother, in 1979. Two years later, Meghan was born, and in 1987, Thomas and Ragland got divorced.
From that point onward, it is stated that there has been a distance between Meghan and the Markles. Thomas has frequently appeared in interviews making comments about Meghan and the rifts transpiring within the Royal Family.
US Weekly further reports that following the announcement of Meghan and Harry's decision to take a step back from Royal Duties, Thomas remarked 'Every young girl wanted to become a princess and she got that and now she's tossing that away. It looks like she's tossing that away for money.'
Samantha also quipped:
I think what is shocking is the lack of consideration for the people involved, the British royal family, the promises that were originally made to honor royal duties and to lead by example.
On the CBS This Morning interview, Meghan stated that her father lied to her about not working with the British tabloids, reports Insider. According to TMZ, a paparazzi agency had approached Thomas for a photo-op and offered him money, which he accepted, and this didn't entirely go well with Meghan.
Tension between siblings
Meghan further elaborated in the interview about her distant relationship with Samantha. Oprah asked about the validity of the book that Samantha had released, Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister Part 1, which claims to provide an insight into Meghan's supposedly abrasive personality within the family.
According to Business Insider, Meghan noted that it had been nearly 20 years since they had seen each other, thus it wouldn't be an accurate tell-all book because Samantha doesn't know her. She further stated that 'I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows.'
The current complication
Earlier this year in March, TMZ reported that Samantha sued Meghan for defamation of character due to the CBS Good Morning interview, which supposedly resulted in 'humiliation, shame, and hatred on a worldwide scale.' Samantha's lawsuit intended to depose Thomas Markle, Prince Harry, and Oprah for their testimonies.
According to Hello Magazine, Meghan's legal team promptly responded noting that Meghan's statements about her half-sister are ' non-actionable opinions that are also substantially true' and have requested a judge to temporarily stop the process of collecting and releasing evidence until the assessment on the merit of the lawsuit itself is carried out.
They elaborated:
A deposition of Mr. Markle at this juncture, along with other discovery, would be an unnecessary spectacle and waste of the parties' time, money, and resources. Samantha Markle should not be permitted to force Meghan and, potentially, numerous non parties to devote substantial resources to extraneous discovery while a meritorious motion that could dispose of the entire case is pending.
Whether the judge grants this motion to Meghan is something that's yet to be seen, but it is apparent that this is a step initiated by Meghan's legal team to stop this situation from spiraling any further before Prince Harry is entangled in it.
Read more:
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'demoted' on Royal Family's website
⋙ Meghan Markle's daughter Lilibet is the spitting image of her father
⋙ Meghan Markle's debut podcast beat Joe Rogan to top US Spotify chart
