The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be questioned as part of a US defamation lawsuit brought by Meghan’s half-sister.
Samantha Markle is suing Meghan for “defamation and malicious falsehood” after the couple’s interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
He alleged that he was defamed when Meghan “falsely and maliciously” said she was an “only child”.
The judge denied a motion by Meghan to prevent the deposition of statements in the civil case.
A deposition is a formal statement of evidence in the United States, which must be given by a witness or party involved in a legal case.
In a high-profile interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple discussed their families, royal life and mental health.
The duchess’ half-sister claimed in a March 2022 filing that Meghan made “manifestly false and malicious statements” to a worldwide audience.
Documents obtained by JEE News show the actual move.
They show Samantha Markle, who has MS and uses a wheelchair, bring the action, saying that almost 50 million people in 17 countries have watched Winfrey’s interview.
The motion said he “spread false and malicious lies” and subjected Samantha Markle to “global humiliation, humiliation and hatred”.
‘Rags to Royalty’
It added that Meghan had used the “powerful resources of the royal family’s public relations operation” to spread “lies around the world” about Samantha Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, and called it “her was described as an “initial campaign to destroy credibility and reputation”.
This was done, the motion said, “to preserve and promote the false ‘rags to royalty’ narrative”.
A motion by Meghan to prevent depositions in the trial was denied on Tuesday by Florida Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell.
But court documents published by the Daily Mail also call into question some of the case brought against Meghan.
After a “preliminary look,” the judge says, some claims “may be ripe for dismissal.”
