Meghan Markle's Sister Defiant After Florida Court Hearing

Meghan Markle's sister told reporters "people change, they have agendas," after a crunch hearing in their libel lawsuit over whether Meghan misrepresented their relationship.

Samantha Markle attended the federal court in Tampa, Florida, in person and said she was optimistic about her chances of success. She is suing Meghan over comments she made to Oprah Winfrey, including that she "grew up as an only child," as well as some of the content of her Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan.

Lawyers for the royal argue that the statements complained of were either opinion and therefore not defamatory, or were made by other people. They have applied to have the case thrown out.

In video footage outside court published by The Sun, Samantha said: "I think the truth stands on its own, so I'm optimistic and thankful that we have a justice system that gives us the chance to present the facts."

She suggested Meghan's account of them barely knowing each other was hurtful: "Of course it is but you know, people change, they have agendas, they have other things influencing their lives and, you know, it doesn't change reality.

"It doesn't change my heart, I think I'm a lot stronger than that, but it's sad. I think got to live with that and hopefully some day she can embrace the truth and a better part of herself.

"I would want that for her but until then I have to get back a lot of my life that was lost from a lot of damage over several years. All we can do is move forward based on truth and positivity."

When Samantha first filed the case, Meghan's lawyer, Michael Kump, said: "This baseless and absurd lawsuit is just a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behavior. We will give it the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves."

That was in March 2022. More than a year and a half later, Meghan may finally see the back of her half-sister's allegations if she can persuade the judge to dismiss them for what will be the third and final time.

However, if Samantha wins, then the case will proceed to a trial and that means Meghan giving a deposition and engaging in disclosure, which could mean handing over private emails and text messages relevant to the case.

All of that runs the risk that the case turns into a messy PR disaster for Meghan, even if she ultimately wins at trial and that all means there will be pressure on the duchess to settle out of court whether she thinks she has a strong case or not.

In the court filing asking for the case to be thrown out, which was seen by Newsweek, Meghan's lawyers said Samantha's latest allegations are "just more of the same. Like the original and First Amended Complaints, it challenges a handful of comments regarding [Samantha] (1) by Meghan regarding her upbringing and the lack of a relationship with her half-sister, and (2) by unrelated third parties."

Among Meghan's statements to Oprah Winfrey, she said: "I think it [would] be very hard to tell all when you don't know me.

"When you talk about betrayal, betrayal comes from someone that you have a relationship with. Right? I don't feel comfortable talking about people that I really don't know."

Samantha's lawyers argued in a court filing seen by Newsweek that the Oprah interview "implied that Samantha was a villainous opportunist who Meghan did not even know," while "the Netflix series was used to label Samantha as nothing less than a racist."

Following legal arguments, Judge Charlene Honeywell told the court she would give a written judgement in the next month, meaning an anxious wait for the two sides.

That will be nothing new for the Sussexes, however, who are veterans of numerous past and current lawsuits.

Prince Harry is still waiting to hear the outcome of his lawsuit again Mirror Group Newspapers in Britain on historic allegations of phone-hacking at the High Court, in London.

Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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