Meghan Markle is locked in a legal battle with her estranged half-sister that likely won’t hurt her brand, but some pundits are wondering what this latest chapter in an ongoing family drama will mean for the Sussexes.
In 2022, Samantha Markle sued the Duchess of Sussex for allegedly making “false” statements to Oprah Winfrey in a 2021 interview. The older sibling accused the former US actress of defamation “due to verifiably false and malicious statements”. Samantha claimed that the Duchess’ “lies” were “destined to destroy [her] Reputation” and subjected them to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a global scale”.
Annie Pace Scranton, CEO of Pace Public Relations, told Fox News Digital she has no doubt the Duchess of Sussex will follow the royal motto of “keep calm, carry on”.
“I don’t think this lawsuit will affect Meghan Markle’s image at all because a large part of the American public has already formed an opinion about her,” said Pace Scranton. “She has repeatedly said that her priority is her family and that she is doing good in the world, which I think is wonderful. [That] should continue to be her focus.”
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Meghan Markle, right, is in the middle of a legal battle with her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images|ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images|FOX)
Doug Eldridge, celebrity branding expert and founder of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital that this new conflict could spark sympathy for the 41-year-old, whose family is known for being outspoken. But after a while, he warned, this will work against them and raise questions from a suspicious public.
“The problem is that this isn’t a viable long-term strategy in the context of victim marketing or victim branding, if you will,” he explained. “The problem is that it only goes so far. You can’t build a long-term brand on that… Maybe it’s ‘Strike while the iron is hot. While we have the attention, let’s control the narrative’.” . Who knows how it will pan out in court or in public opinion, but from 10,000 feet away you can see it for what it is. It uses the victim position as a short-term marketing strategy, and I hate it for many reasons… I think it creates dishonest and disingenuous positioning in the market and doesn’t lead to a positive productive place.”
“If you walk into 10 rooms and you have an issue with someone in every room, the only thing that all of those rooms have in common is you,” he shared. “If you have a situation where you’re at odds with your father, your sister, and your husband’s family — if you go into 10 different rooms and have a problem with someone in every room, maybe the problem is you.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have opened up about their struggles with the media and royal life. (Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images)
The fight isn’t over yet. Samantha wants the former Suits star to admit she lied about her relationship and upbringing to sell a rags to royalty narrative. She claimed the Duchess lied about being an “only child” as well as the last time they saw each other. Samantha claimed Meghan falsely stated that her older sister changed her last name to Markle after Meghan started dating Harry, 38. The women have the same father, 78.
“There are a lot of people who, rightly or wrongly, see Meghan as ambitious and manipulative,” Christopher Andersen, author of The King, told Fox News Digital. “The idea that she lied about her upbringing fuels those fires. But other than supporting existing opinions, I don’t think the Sussexes’ brand will be impacted one way or the other. People who don’t like Meghan will point at her relatives and say, ‘See how she’s turning her back on her own family?’ and people who support Meghan will point to her family and say, ‘See what she’s had to endure?'”
“I think it’s beyond ironic that Harry, who once called America’s prized First Amendment ‘Crazy,’ now watches his wife’s attorney assert her First Amendment rights in court,” Andersen shared. “Grossly hypocritical? You bet. And it’s my First Amendment right to say so!”
But the mother of two has every reason to settle the dispute soon. The upcoming coronation of their father-in-law, King Charles III, looms over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May.
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King Charles III, father of Prince William and Prince Harry, will be crowned in May. (Alastair Grant – WPA Pool)
“If Samantha can prove that Meghan has branded her a liar and an unfit parent around the world and this has negatively impacted her lifestyle and income, a judge could allow the case to go before a jury,” said Kinsey Schofield, host of the podcast. To Di For Daily,” Fox News Digital said.
“It would be embarrassing for Meghan because Samantha would probably make a circus out of it,” Schofield explained. “Sam is already saying she wants to make a statement asking Harry and Meghan whether or not the royal family is racist. Kind of irrelevant to their court claims, but that’s something we’d see as the case progressed. Most people “Observing this case has suggested Meghan to come to terms with the mediator to ensure no statements are made and to spare the Duke and Duchess any further humiliation.”
Meghan Markle’s father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, famously did not attend the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2018 royal wedding. (Richard Baker / In Pictures via Getty Images)
“I will say that in the UK, where Harry and Meghan have lost popularity, [Samantha’s] Allegations resonate a lot more,” Andersen interjected. “Press attacks against Meghan and Harry have reached fever pitch there as the coronation drumbeat begins and Samantha Markle is certainly contributing to all the noise.”
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital the lawsuit will continue to raise questions about Meghan’s upbringing and intensify any media scrutiny she might wish to avoid.
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Oprah Winfrey interviewed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for a special in 2021. (Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images)
“Unlike the late Queen Elizabeth II, who had solid relationships for over 70 years… Meghan Markle is in a constant state of either suing or being sued,” Fordwich said. “A trail of damaged and destroyed relationships. Also devastating for Meghan’s image is the modest amount that Samantha is suing for. The meager $75,000 barely covers her own legal fees. Samantha demonstrates tangibly that she did not initiate this for financial reasons.”
Fordwich claimed the Sussexes made “a profit on pain” through their revelations, which included a six-part Netflix documentary released in December, followed by Harry’s memoir Spare in January.
“While most members of the public have nothing to do with fame and don’t have royal issues, everyone has families,” Fordwich said. “We all have some family arguments, but who among us has ever been sued by our siblings?”
Much of the drama surrounding the Markle family dates back to 2018. Samantha and her brother Thomas Markle Jr. revealed they were “stunned” when the royal couple allegedly left them off the wedding guest list. In the days before and after the wedding, Samantha was vocal about her frustration with the Duchess and her behavior towards the family.
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Meghan Markle’s siblings, including half-brother Thomas Markle Jr., have previously spoken out about the Duchess of Sussex. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Image)
During her meeting with Winfrey, Meghan addressed the tension. It was reported at the time that Samantha was writing a memoir called The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister.
“I think it would be very difficult to tell everything if you don’t know me,” Meghan claimed to the media mogul. “It’s a very different situation than my dad – when you talk about betrayal, betrayal comes from someone you’re in a relationship with, right? I’m not comfortable talking about people I really don’t know.”
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Almost 50 million people worldwide watched Winfrey’s interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. (Joe Pugliese/Harpo Productions via AP)
Schofield said she didn’t buy Meghan’s claims.
“Ironically, while making money off the family sounds cheesy, that’s exactly what Harry and Meghan have been doing for the past three years,” she said.
As for Andersen, he insists the Markles have nothing against the House of Windsor.
“All the finger-pointing from Palace circles about this Markle family feud strikes me as more than slightly disingenuous,” he said. “Whatever their problems, Meghan and her relatives are square compared to the Windsors – one of the most spectacularly dysfunctional families in human history.”
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex live in California with their two children. (Henning Kaiser/Picture Alliance)
In early 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were stepping down from royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they felt was intolerable intrusion and racist attitudes from the UK media. They now live in Montecito, California with their two young children.