Where Meghan Markle Stands With Her Half-Siblings, Samantha & Thomas Markle Jr.
For Meghan Markle, blood isn't always thicker than water. Ever since the Duchess of Sussex began dating Prince Harry in 2016, her older half-sister, Samantha Markle, has made countless hurtful claims about the mom-of-two, exclaiming she ditched the Markle family when she joined Harry's.
However, Meghan insisted that isn't the case, as the ladies never had a close relationship growing up — but that hasn't prevented Samantha from running her mouth.
The actress' relationship with half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., is also fractured, though he doesn't seem to hold as much animosity toward her as Samantha does.
Scroll down to learn more about Meghan's relationship with her siblings.
Though Samantha and Meghan reportedly hadn't since 2008, the former did all she could to regain the star's attention, including showing up unannounced at Kensington Palace, where she was turned away.
In 2021, filled with anger at her little sibling, Samantha published The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1, in which she alleged Meghan was unfaithful to her first husband, Trevor Engelson.
Samantha, 58, also took aim at Meghan and Harry's union during an interview, predicting it will end "in divorce unless they get extensive counseling and can agree to work on being honest."
In 2022, Samantha launched a defamation lawsuit against Meghan, claiming she made false statements about her during the Oprah Winfrey chat. A rep for the Duchess stated Meghan's words were a personal account of her childhood and not intended to be heard as "objective fact."
In a surprising twist, it was revealed in Netflix's doc Harry & Meghan that the California native befriended Samantha's estranged daughter, Ashleigh Hale. Ashleigh explained her mom had a lot of "resentment" towards Meghan, and since she refused to stop slamming her via the media, Ashleigh decided to cut ties with her parent.
In another episode of the recently released docuseries, Meghan detailed the true nature of her and Samantha's relationship.
"I don’t know your middle name. I don’t know your birthday. You’re telling these people you raised me, and you coined me Princess Pushy? I hadn’t had a fallout with her. We didn’t have a closeness to be able to have that," she shared. "The last time I saw her that I remember was when I was in my early 20s," Meghan said. "I hadn't had a fall out with her. We hadn't been able to have that."
Thomas Markle Jr.
During his run on Australia's Big Brother VIP in 2021, Thomas, 56, explained he and Meghan, 42, "were close" until 2011, which is when she moved to Canada, presumably to start filming Suits.
"Money and fame went to her head really bad," he told his fellow game show contestants. "I guess when you are introduced to the one percent of society — that is most likely the reason that happened to her when she didn't have anything before."
He also labeled the brunette beauty as "shallow" and "cold," claiming she would one day abruptly end her marriage to Harry, 38. His harsh words came after he was snubbed from Harry and Meghan's 2018 nuptials.
In a subsequent Big Brother VIP episode, Thomas expressed his regret over his actions, admitting he even sent a letter encouraging the Duke of Sussex to call off the wedding.
"Dear Meghan and Harry, the first thing I want to say to both of you is that I’m sorry from the bottom of my heart for the awful, mean letter that I wrote to you prior to your wedding," he penned in a new note to the couple, insisting his previous declarations "came from a very dark and hurt part of my heart."
The reality star explained he was particularly distraught when Meghan called him a "distant" relative during an interview.
After staying mum for a while, Thomas popped back up once Harry & Meghan premiered on Netflix, dubbing the docuseries "disturbing" since he alleged Meghan's story about their family was "so far off on so many different levels."
"She just basically brushed the entire family under the carpet like we don’t exist, and then lied about not having a family, and lied about she doesn’t have a family that she’s always wanted," he said in a public response. "We’ve always been here."
In order to clear the air, Thomas claimed he's working on a doc of his own.
"Coming out in like 2023 ... our side of a documentary that’s going to shed a lot of light that needs to be shed … it’s going to tell a whole different story. I think the general public in the U.K. and America knows that now the Markles aren’t bad people, we’re just like a normal family like everybody else," he spilled. "We do exist, and when one person tells lies, this is what happens — you end up looking ridiculous."