Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha fires off sharp comments at the Duchess after learning whether she can sue her for defamation over a 2001 Oprah interview, adding: ‘We taught her to walk!’

Meghan Markle’s half-sister spoke out about her sibling following an appearance in a Florida court, where she is attempting to file a lawsuit against the Duchess of Sussex over comments made during the former royal couple’s infamous Oprah interview in 2021.

Samantha Markle, 58, told reporters outside court that she was “optimistic” about the prospects of a trial but said she was “too strong” to allow Meghan’s comments about not really knowing her half-sister would affect her too much, but hopes her famous sister will one day “embrace the truth.”

Samantha refuted the claim that she once said she helped raise her famous sister. “My brother (Thomas Markle Jr.) and I were very clear that we were an integral part of her life until I was 12. We taught her to walk… we took her to school, we went to the duck pond – we were normal siblings’ she said The American sun.

‘But no one ever saw me say I raised her. My father and (Meghan’s mother) Doria raised her,” she added.

Samantha, whose father Thomas married Meghan’s mother Doria after she and her brother Thomas were born, claims in her interviews that the former Suits star suggested she is a “cheater,” a “deceptive opportunist” and a “charlatan.”

She is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, claiming Meghan’s comments caused her to lose sales of her book, The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister, and caused her professional and social harm.

Hours after Samantha’s appearance, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex then attended an event for wounded United States Navy SEALs in San Diego.

Samantha Markle claims Meghan defamed her in her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey

Meghan Markle and her half-sister are pictured together at Samantha’s graduation ceremony in 2008

“People change, they have agendas, there are other things that affect their lives and, you know, it doesn’t change reality. It doesn’t change my heart, I think I’m much stronger than that, but it’s sad,” Samantha continued.

“I think the truth stands alone, so I’m optimistic and grateful that we have a legal system that gives us the opportunity to present the facts,” she continued.

Samantha said she accepts having to live with Markle’s comments, but hopes her sister “can one day embrace the truth and a better part of herself.”

‘I would want that for her, but until then I have to get back a large part of my life that was lost through a lot of damage over a number of years.

“All we can do is move forward based on truth and positivity.”

Samantha also said she was hurt by Meghan claiming they weren’t close as children told Fox 13: ‘People change, they have agendas, there are other things that influence their lives. It doesn’t change reality.’

Samantha, who has appeared regularly on television and in the newspapers since Meghan first emerged as Prince Harry’s girlfriend, said her book was not a “tell-all story”.

“Anyone who’s read my book knows it’s more of a sociological book about social labels,” she told The US Sun.

“The title wasn’t actually a joke on her (Meghan), it was a mockery of social labels because the media previously called her ‘Princess Pushy’.”

Peter Ticktin, Samantha’s lawyer, claimed that his client – who suffers from multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair – has been harassed since the interviews with Meghan and is afraid to leave her home.

Samantha Markle and Meghan share the same father, Thomas Markle. He married Doria Ragland in 1979

Samantha Markle has frequently appeared on television shows to talk about her half-sister

Michael Kump, Meghan’s attorney, said Samantha’s case was without merit and that none of Meghan’s statements were defamatory.

“This has always been a lawsuit in search of a viable claim,” said Kump, who also represents the Kardashian family.

“The case failed because it directly violates defamation law and the First Amendment.”

The case was initially filed in March 2022 and dismissed in March this year.

The judge ruled in March that Meghan was simply “expressing an opinion about her youth and her relationship with her half-sister.”

Samantha is now trying again to take the case to court in Florida.

Judge Charlene Honeywell, who is overseeing the case, is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether to prosecute the case.