Meghan Markle, Prince Harry to appear in court for Samantha Markle defamation case

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will now be forced to appear in court for the defamation case brought against the Duchess of Sussex by her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle.

According to The Telegraph, a Florida judge denied an application submitted by Meghan to try and get Samantha’s defamation case dismissed.

As per the publication, this now “means that both the Duchess and Prince Harry will be forced to give filmed depositions, under oath, if the case moves ahead.”

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell ruled that while Meghan ‘did not meet the high standard’ required to halt the case, the deadline for her and Prince Harry’s filmed depositions can be extended to July, 2023.

Honeywell said: “Defendant Markle does not show that unusual circumstances justify the requested stay, or that prejudice or an undue burden will result if the Court does not impose a stay.”

“Although a preliminary peek at the motion to dismiss suggests that some of the claims against her may be ripe for dismissal, the review does not reveal, at this time, a clear indication that the court will dismiss the action in its entirety,” she added.

Samantha, the older half-sister of the Duchess of Sussex, sued Meghan for $75,000 in damages, claiming that the Sussexes subjected her to ‘humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale’ with their infamous 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.

She has also accused Meghan of ‘telling false and malicious lies’ and for making up her ‘rags to royalty’ story at the expense of her family, including Samantha and their father Thomas Markle Sr.

Meghan Markle’s legal team has vehemently denied Samantha’s claims, and has declined to provide any evidence for the trial, labelling Samantha’s requests as ‘irrelevant, vague, and speculative.’