Meghan and Half-Sister's Battle Over 'Rags to Riches' Childhood Explained

Meghan Markle and her half sister are locked in a libel lawsuit over the duchess' account to Oprah Winfrey that she "grew up as an only child."

Samantha Markle's lawyers say Meghan attempted to trash her sibling's reputation so that Samantha could not challenge the duchess' account of her early life.

Meghan told Oprah in March 2021 how "I would have loved to have had siblings" and suggested Samantha did not in reality know her. In contrast, Samantha's team said she helped Meghan with her homework and walked her to school—claims that the royal denies.

The case accuses Meghan of instructing her "agent and communications secretary" to brief a negative appraisal of Samantha to the authors of the bombshell 2020 biography Finding Freedom.

Finding Freedom 'Was Used by the Duchess'

A filing by Samantha's lawyers read: "The book was used by the Duchess to affirm the false narrative that she portrayed to the Royal Family, that she supposedly lived a rags to riches storybook life.

"A life that took her from a humble beginning like that of Cinderella, to the wife of a Prince, a Duchess. She did not hesitate to strike back at what she mistakenly believed to be actions of Mrs. Markle, her older sister, against her. She needed to distance herself from Mrs. Markle and to blame any and all issues on her."

Meghan's lawyers were blunt in their own court filing: "[Samantha] concedes that 'there is no dispute that the authors of Finding Freedom are Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand,' and not Meghan. That is the death-knell for all claims against Meghan based on statements in the book."

Meghan and Thomas Markle's Dispute Over Her Upbringing

While the substance of the case is about Meghan and Samantha's relationship and how close they are, a long running dispute between Meghan and her father also serves as a backdrop to some of the issues.

Thomas Markle has challenged several of his daughter's descriptions of her childhood and adolescence, including a letter she wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.

In support of paid family leave, Meghan's open letter read: "I grew up on the $4.99 salad bar at Sizzler—it may have cost less back then (to be honest, I can't remember)—but what I do remember was the feeling: I knew how hard my parents worked to afford this because even at five bucks, eating out was something special, and I felt lucky."

However, Thomas Markle challenged his daughter's narrative in an interview with U.K. tabloid The Sun: "She's never, ever, ever had to worry about anything like that in her life.

"We'd do the best restaurants in town and we'd do Sizzler because it was convenient. We never had to rub our pennies together and just have the salad bar. She had the salad bar—but she had a meal as well."

Meghan Markle's Stint at Humphrey Yogart

Meghan's open letter also stated: "I started working (at the local frozen yogurt shop) at the age of 13. I waited tables, babysat, and piecemealed jobs together to cover odds and ends.

"I worked all my life and saved when and where I could—but even that was a luxury—because usually it was about making ends meet and having enough to pay my rent and put gas in my car."

Thomas Markle challenged this account too in an interview for Tom Bower's biography Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors.

He said: "She never worked when she was at school. I would not have allowed it. And she didn't need to."

The book added: "Not only did Thomas Markle ensure that Meghan was well fed,
but at weekends he paid for extra tuition and out-of-town trips."

Thomas Markle's remarks follow a statement by Humphrey Yogart ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan's 2018 royal wedding: "Join us in celebrating our former employee Meghan Markle, and her wedding to Prince Harry at Humphrey's with some strawberry + peanut butter frozen yogart - this royal combination is available all day Saturday, May 19th at 50% off. (one per customer per visit please)."

The company added in a comment: "We think it was around 1995." That was the year Meghan turned 14 years old.

How Meghan Funded Her Northwestern University Career

Meghan and her father also had a dispute over the funding for her degree at Northwestern University, which he suggested he took on debt to pay for.

Meghan gave a speech at the University of South Pacific, in Suva, Fiji, in 2018 where she said: "It was through scholarships, financial aid programs, and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition...that I was able to attend university."

Her father challenged that narrative through a court filing submitted by The Mail on Sunday's legal team after Meghan sued the newspaper for breach of privacy and copyright.

The document read: "Mr. Markle had supported [Meghan] throughout her childhood and youth. He had paid her private school fees. He had paid all her college tuition and after she left Northwestern University he continued to pay off her student loans even after she had landed a well-paid role in Suits."

Thomas Markle Would Be 'Thrilled' to Give Evidence

Meghan has applied to have the case dismissed but if the judge sides with her half-sister she may see some of these issues dragged into court, particularly as Thomas Markle has already offered to give evidence in support of his older daughter.

On his YouTube channel, Remarkable Friendship, he said: "I've been trying for almost four years to get to see my daughter and her ginger husband in a courtroom face-to-face. I haven't seen them face-to-face. I haven't seen my grandchildren. I'd be thrilled to come to court and talk and defend my oldest daughter [Samantha]."