Who is Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Markle and what is her net worth?
SAMANTHA Markle revealed that she was suing her sibling for "defamation and injurious falsehoods".
A judge has now dismissed the lawsuit against her half-sister, but who is she and what exactly has she said about them?
Who is Samantha Markle?
Mum-of-three Samantha Markle, also known as Samantha Grant, is a 54-year-old former actress and model, who lives in Florida, US.
She shares a dad with her half-sister Meghan Markle.
Their father, Thomas Markle, who knew about Meghan's royal romance for as long as five months before the news came out, had recently become bankrupt, having once been a successful lighting director in America.
In the past, Samantha has claimed to have raised Meghan for 12 years when she was growing up in California.
Was Samantha Markle invited to the Royal Wedding?
Samantha was not invited to the Royal Wedding.
In an interview with Channel Four show Meet The Markles she said: “There are some members of the family who have an air of entitlement about even a wedding invite, I don’t understand why we didn’t get one but I don’t expect or demand one."
It has previously been reported that Samantha and Meghan have not spoken for the past decade.
Just days before the ceremony, The Sun exclusively revealed that Samantha had slammed claims Kensington Palace was helping dad Thomas in hospital amid his health problems.
But Samantha has since spoken about her lack of invitation, telling Jeremy Vine that she was "hurt" but that she still "loves" Meghan.
What has Samantha Markle said about Meghan Markle?
Most recently Meghan's half-sister blasted the duchess for "isolating the entire family" saying it's "only humane" to make things right.
Samantha Markle called for Meghan to resolve things with their father Thomas Markle adding only the Duchess of Sussex could make things right.
Speaking to Australian morning programme Sunrise, the American said: "I'm hoping that she will resolve things with our father, because it's only called for. That needs to be repaired."
Before Archie was born, Samantha made a few digs at Meghan and her baby.
In April 2019, Samantha threatened to steal the royal baby's thunder by releasing her tell-all book at the same time it was born.
The mum-of-three said after the baby was born: "I would really love him to be a part of the baby's life.
"But more than that, Meg is his baby too. Life is short and we're family. I hope she decides to do the right thing this time."
Samantha added: "Well I love it! I'm already an aunt and am lucky enough to have Thomas and Tyler as my nephews.
She also said Meghan would "butt
heads" with nannies that she would hire after the baby is born.
Samantha brazenly claimed in August that Meghan faked her baby's christening.
She told the : "For my sister to go into a church knowing what she has done to our father, ignoring him through every holiday, the wedding, two heart attacks the birth and the christening, is disrespectful.
"Everything about the christening
look faked and photoshopped but more at issue is the fact that she has traded an entire family to be royal and shame on her.”
When Meghan married Prince Harry, Samantha has launched a series of Twitter rants aimed at her half-sister.
On July 18, 2018, she launched a furious attack on the Duchess of Sussex claiming she would hold Meghan responsible for their father's death.
Sharing an article about Meghan and Harry paying tribute to Nelson Mandela she wrote: "How about you pay tribute to your own father?! Enough is enough. Act like a humanitarian act like a woman! If our father dies I'm holding you responsible Meg! @KensingtonRoyal".
Earlier in the same month, she dubbed her sister the "Duchess of Nonsense" and claimed Harry should have married former flame Cressida Bonas.
Is Samantha Markle married and does she have children?
Samantha is reportedly married to Mark Phillips.
He was taken into custody on December 14, 2020 after he allegedly hit his wife at their home in Florida.
The man, who has reportedly lived with Samantha since 2016, allegedly left the scene but was soon caught by police.
He was then released the same day he was booked in Polk County, jail records show, but a court date is scheduled for 2021.
Samantha had three children - Ashleigh, Noelle and Christopher.
Meghan previously claimed that Ashleigh was like a “little sister” to her.
What does Samantha Markle do for a living and what is her net worth?
It is not known Samantha's net worth but the half-sister reportedly bags incomes from her ‘tell-all’ book about Meghan.
The autobiography sensationally claimed Meghan and the Royal Family should have postponed the wedding so Thomas Markle could attend after he had a heart attack.
Titled "The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister: A Memoir, Part One", she also claimed Meghan was "controlling" towards their father.
She wrote: "The Royals couldn't postpone the wedding so that my father could be included, and I knew it was not unreasonable that they reschedule, given resources available to make that happen."