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International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Entertainment
Tanya Diente

Lawyer Says Court Could Question Meghan Markle On 'Racist Royals' Claim

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in their Oprah interview in March 2021 spoke about senior royals who shared concerns about their son's complexion. Photo: AFP / OLIVIER DOULIERY

Meghan Markle could be questioned under oath about the alleged racist royals she cited in her Oprah interview in 2021 as part of the libel case filed against her by her estranged sister Samantha Markle.

The 59-year-old claimed that her half-sister defamed her in the interview after saying that she "grew up as an only child". She also accused the royal of having subjected her to "worldwide hatred, contempt, and ridicule" over assertions that she only changed her surname back to Markle after learning of Meghan's relationship with Prince Harry, saying it made her look like a liar who is out for "profit and fame".

Samantha has since contradicted the interview, saying she was there for Meghan Markle's growing up years. She also claimed her sister painted a rags-to-riches story over revelations about the odd jobs she did to earn a living.

Samantha's lawyer Peter Ticktin, who has called the duchess a "sociopath", said that as part of the libel action he will demand that both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle submit a deposition which means they could be questioned under oath.

As part of this, the couple could be quizzed about "family matters" including the issue surrounding the identities of the senior royals who they said raised concerns about their son Prince's Archie's complexion.

Ticktin told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "The royal racists issue needs to be explored. There's reasons why she abandoned her family and turned on her family."

He added: "This is a person who wants to be able to say horrible things and not really care if she destroyed the lives of people in her family. She doesn't care if she destroys the monarchy."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not, to this day, revealed the identities of the senior royals who they said raised concerns about how dark Prince Archie could be before he was born. They assured, however, that it was neither Prince Philip nor Queen Elizabeth II.

However, the Dutch version of royal author Omid Scobie's new book, "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarch's Fight For Survial," namedropped the royals involved. The duchess allegedly mentioned their names in private letters she sent to King Charles III.

Scobie credited the mishap to a "translation error" because the original copy of the book did not contain the names. The Dutch version had to be corrected before publication to prevent controversy.

But Piers Morgan on an episode of his "Uncensored" show reignited the racism row when he went ahead and revealed their names to the public. He said the Dutch version revealed that it was Kate Middleton and King Charles III who raised concerns about Prince Archie's complexion.

The royal family, per usual, have remained mum on the allegations and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also not responded to Morgan's revelation. But Prince Harry has since clarified that neither he nor his wife accused the royal family of being racist. He said the senior royals involved were not being racist but displayed unconscious bias.

Despite the racism row being reignited, the royal family has remained calm and united. Unnamed sources close to King Charles III claimed that he is still "full of energy" because he was "not concerned" about being named and refuses to be "emotionally blackmailed by his own son".

The royal family were recently seen together in Sandringham for their annual Christmas holiday gathering. Even Sarah Ferguson was invited but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were not with the family. As for Samantha's libel case, the trial is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2024 in Tampa, Florida, and is expected to last for five days. She is seeking $75,000 in damages.

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