The Duchess of Sussex faces being quizzed under oath after her half-sister Samantha Markle sued her for defamation.
Meghan could be forced to sit for a legal deposition by lawyers representing Samantha, whose claim centres on the sensational interview the Duchess and Prince Harry gave to Oprah Winfrey last year.
A source close to the case says Meghan’s 57-year-old sibling intends to “forensically challenge” every aspect of the interview with Oprah.
If she succeeds, it raises the prospect of Meghan, 40, being directly asked which senior royal she was referring to when she made claims of racism.
The source said: “Nothing is off-limits if the Duchess is deposed.
“Samantha’s lawsuit focuses heavily on claims made by the Duchess when she spoke to Oprah.
“They include details on how little Meghan says she knew her half-siblings, but also about the life she had when growing up.
“Samantha, who shares the same dad with Meghan, does not recognise much of what the Duchess said and wants to challenge it all by making her sister sit for a deposition.
“Everything will be forensically challenged. For sure, Samantha hopes Meghan will be tested on all aspects of the Oprah programme, including claims she made about the royals.”
Today, US magistrate Thomas Wilson filed an order detailing “discovery motion requirements”.
He said the process “shall include quotation in full of each interrogatory, question on deposition, request for admission or request for production to which the motion is addressed”.
Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping down as working royals in January 2020 and moved from the UK to America.
During their interview with Oprah last March, the couple claimed they had been cut off financially and Meghan was denied help when she suffered suicidal thoughts while living in London.
In another bombshell, they accused a member of the royals of racism, claiming a family member questioned how dark their son Archie’s skin would be.
The Duchess also said there had been conversations about how Archie would not be given a title or royal protection.
She said: “So we have, in tandem, the conversation of you won’t be given security, he’s not going to be given a title and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.”
The Royal Family had the discussion with Harry, and it was later relayed back to her, she said. Meghan declined to reveal who was involved.
The Duchess said that it would be “very damaging” to those concerned.
