Last month, we reported that Meghan Markle’s ongoing legal battle against her estranged half-sister Samantha was continuing to escalate. Now, things have gotten even worse for Meghan. Indeed, experts are saying that the wife of Prince Harry’s dreams of being “California royalty” may already be dead in the water thanks to Samantha.
Meghan And Samantha’s Legal Battle
Samantha, 60, first filed a lawsuit against Meghan, 44, in 2022. In it, she claimed that Meghan had defamed her multiple times, including in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey. This case was dismissed with prejudice in 2024, meaning that Samantha can’t file the claim again.
Samantha, however, refused to back down. She has appealed the dismissal, and oral arguments are scheduled to begin today in Jacksonville, Florida.
Royal expert Hilary Fordwich is saying that Meghan’s attempts to become “California royalty” might be in danger because of this.
“Meghan Markle has done her utmost to rebrand herself as some sort of California royalty in a desperate attempt to forge a new identity,” Fordwich told Fox News. “This will thwart those efforts. Regarding her own father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, there is such entrenched bitterness, and this situation makes any reconciliation far from likely.”
“These constant airings of grievances will cause a great chasm,” Fordwich continued.
Samantha’s Lawyer Sounds Off
Meghan’s representatives said that they will not be commenting on her legal battle with Samantha. Meanwhile, Samantha’s lawyer Peter Ticktin was more than happy to give his thoughts on the situation.
“The attorneys representing Samantha Markle and Meghan Markle will be making their arguments to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals,” Ticktin said. “As each side has fully briefed their positions, we are not going to learn much from either side. However, we can get a good idea of what is to come from the questions which the panel of three judges is more than likely to ask.”
“After the oral argument, the judges will go into a conference and determine whether the case should be reversed and remanded to the trial judge or if the judge’s decision will be affirmed,” he added. “As the whole question is to be addressed as a matter of law, where all the allegations of the complaint are deemed to be true for this purpose, there is a good chance that the court will reverse the trial judge.”
“The question is, assuming that all the allegations of the complaint are true, are the false allegations that Samantha was a part of a group of racists who are attacking Meghan Markle sufficient to be defamation under Florida law?” Ticktin concluded.
Meghan’s Attempts To Rebrand Herself
Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals in January of 2020. They then moved to Southern California, where Meghan was born and raised. In the years since then, Meghan has desperately been trying to rebrand herself by building a business empire.
Meghan launched a lifestyle brand As Ever earlier this year. Last month, season two of her Netflix series With Love, Meghan premiered on the streaming service.
Unfortunately for Meghan, the series was widely panned by fans and critics alike. Netflix has since downgraded her $100 million contract to a more modest “first look” deal. This is yet another indication that Hollywood has had enough of Meghan. It also suggests that her “California royalty” dreams are further from becoming a reality than ever.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams warned that Meghan’s estrangement from her family have hurt her attempts at rebranding herself.
“One of the strange characteristics of Meghan is that she plays at being so relentlessly positive yet only appears to get on with her mother,” Fitzwilliams claimed. “One of the reasons she is struggling with her work is that people don’t buy it. She is not genuine. Whatever her father’s faults are — and they are considerable — he did play a huge role in bringing her up.”
PR Expert Weighs In
Public relations expert Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, also weighed in. He explained that any legal disputes with family members do more harm than good for any public figure.
“The world of he said/she said familial disputes often seems like a tangled extension cord; no matter how you twist, pull, or loosen, it only seems to get tighter and more convoluted,” Eldridge said.
“You have no idea where the beginning or the end is,” he stated. “Far be it from me to say someone else should reconcile with a family member, but I will say this: anytime you choose to litigate or publicize your family issues in front of a global jury of your peers, it never leads to a winning outcome. Everyone loses.”
In the end, Eldridge believes that Meghan should have been preparing for this kind of legal battle instead of constantly trying to play the victim.
“Meghan married into the royal family, and that means a lifetime of media coverage,” he explained. “She has also, in the past, strategically sought media attention in hopes of garnering viewer and reader sympathy. However, that media spotlight has always been a two-way street.”
“If you consistently use the microphone and stage to denigrate others while positioning yourself as the victim, you have to understand that eventually, you too will be the subject of allegations and even litigation,” Eldridge concluded. “The court of law has regulations, standards, and protocol; the court of public opinion does not.”
With oral arguments starting today, it will certainly be interesting to see where the legal battle between Samantha and Meghan goes from here. If Meghan really wanted to be “California royalty,” perhaps she should have appeased her family when she had the chance!