Royals

Meghan Markle’s Half-Sister Samantha Markle Details Their Childhood, Last Conversation and More in ‘The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1’

February 17, 2021

Spilling the royal tea? Samantha Markle looked back on her rocky past with her half-sister, Meghan Markle, in her new memoir The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister Part 1, available now.

With their 16-year age difference, the pair were always on different paths despite sharing a father, Thomas Markle. After Meghan, 39, found herself in the global spotlight in 2016 amid her romance with Prince Harry, Samantha, 56, told Us Weekly exclusively that it had “been a while” since the siblings had really talked.

“Hopefully we can have a heart to heart,” the author said in November 2017. “I want her to know I’m wishing her well and there for her. At the end of the day, I want her to know that the love is there.”

Samantha’s book dives into her earliest memories with the Suits alum, who she claimed got “whatever she wanted and needed” from their dad as a kid. Though she left no subject off the table, Samantha told Us earlier this month that she didn’t write the book “to put garbage into the universe” about the Duchess of Sussex.

“Contrary to troll gossip and aggregate news rumors, my book has never been designed to attack my sister,” the Florida resident explained. “It’s relatable. There’s a lot to learn — the good, the bad and the ugly. I’ve been very forthcoming that I was never writing a hardbound tabloid. I said that two years ago, but nobody wanted to believe it.”

The twosome were estranged for years, but their family tension only worsened when Thomas, 76, was caught staging paparazzi pictures weeks before Meghan’s May 2018 wedding to Harry, 36. Neither Thomas nor Samantha — who admitted to encouraging her father’s photo scandal — attended the royal wedding in England.

While Meghan has seemingly distanced herself from her family members (apart from her mother, Doria Ragland), Samantha and Thomas haven’t shied away from airing their family drama in the public eye. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping down from their senior royal roles, Samantha called the decision “a slap in the face” to British royal tradition.

Is Prince Harry refusing to mend relationships with the Royal Family? Us Weekly editors dish the details with True Royalty TV Editor-in-Chief Nick Bullen.

“I think what is shocking is the lack of consideration for the people involved, the British royal family, the promises that were originally made to honor royal duties and to lead by example,” she told Inside Edition at the time. “They stepped into the spotlight knowing what the duties were, knowing what the media would be like for them. If she wanted to be so private, she wouldn’t have sat at Wimbledon with 40 empty seats around her.”

Scroll down for the biggest revelations from Samantha’s tell-all book.

Credit: Shutterstock; Kevin Manning/MEGA

Meghan Markle's Half-Sister Samantha Markle Details Their Childhood, Last Conversation and More in 'The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister Part 1'

Spilling the royal tea? Samantha Markle looked back on her rocky past with her half-sister, Meghan Markle, in her new memoir The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister Part 1, available now. With their 16-year age difference, the pair were always on different paths despite sharing a father, Thomas Markle. After Meghan, 39, found herself in the global spotlight in 2016 amid her romance with Prince Harry, Samantha, 56, told Us Weekly exclusively that it had "been a while" since the siblings had really talked. "Hopefully we can have a heart to heart," the author said in November 2017. "I want her to know I'm wishing her well and there for her. At the end of the day, I want her to know that the love is there." Samantha's book dives into her earliest memories with the Suits alum, who she claimed got "whatever she wanted and needed" from their dad as a kid. Though she left no subject off the table, Samantha told Us earlier this month that she didn't write the book "to put garbage into the universe" about the Duchess of Sussex. "Contrary to troll gossip and aggregate news rumors, my book has never been designed to attack my sister," the Florida resident explained. "It's relatable. There's a lot to learn — the good, the bad and the ugly. I've been very forthcoming that I was never writing a hardbound tabloid. I said that two years ago, but nobody wanted to believe it." [jwplayer brBsagoS-l3ahXupL] The twosome were estranged for years, but their family tension only worsened when Thomas, 76, was caught staging paparazzi pictures weeks before Meghan's May 2018 wedding to Harry, 36. Neither Thomas nor Samantha — who admitted to encouraging her father's photo scandal — attended the royal wedding in England. While Meghan has seemingly distanced herself from her family members (apart from her mother, Doria Ragland), Samantha and Thomas haven't shied away from airing their family drama in the public eye. When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping down from their senior royal roles, Samantha called the decision "a slap in the face" to British royal tradition. Is Prince Harry refusing to mend relationships with the Royal Family? Us Weekly editors dish the details with True Royalty TV Editor-in-Chief Nick Bullen. "I think what is shocking is the lack of consideration for the people involved, the British royal family, the promises that were originally made to honor royal duties and to lead by example," she told Inside Edition at the time. "They stepped into the spotlight knowing what the duties were, knowing what the media would be like for them. If she wanted to be so private, she wouldn't have sat at Wimbledon with 40 empty seats around her." Scroll down for the biggest revelations from Samantha's tell-all book.

Credit: News Licensing/MEGA

Thomas and Meghan's Special Bond

According to Samantha, her father and Meghan "were inseparable" almost instantly after her birth. Thomas "wore a lot of hats" in the family at the time and was "both maternal and paternal" toward his youngest daughter. "He called her his 'Bean,' which to him, meant a beautiful bean that would grow into a beautiful baby," Samantha claimed.

Credit: News Licensing/MEGA

Coping With Thomas and Doria's Divorce

Meghan's parents wed in December 1979 and they split after nearly 10 years of marriage. At the time, Meghan spent half of her time with Thomas and the other half with Doria at her Los Angeles apartment. While Samantha "wondered if Meg felt like she was torn between two worlds" at the time, her younger half-sister "never expressed" whether she was unhappy.

"From what I saw, she really enjoyed having 'two houses with one bridge between them,'" Samantha alleged, recalling that she "tried not to talk about" the divorce in front of Meghan often.

Credit: Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/MEGA

Meghan's 'Demanding' Attitude

The way Samantha remembered it, Meghan got "whatever she wanted and needed" from their "easy-going" father while growing up. "I don't recall ever hearing Dad say no to Meg, about anything," Samantha claimed. However, Samantha saw her becoming more "demanding" of Thomas as she got older.

"He was paying for Meg to get a great education, and instead of showing gratitude, she was being belittling and controlling," Samantha claimed, noting that Thomas went on to pay for Meghan's tuition at Northwestern University.

Credit: Star Magazine/MEGA

Meghan's First Marriage to Trevor Engelson

Before she found love with the Duke of Sussex, Meghan was married to Trevor Engelson. The now-exes tied the knot in Jamaica in 2011 and while Samantha did not attend the ceremony, she was "happy" for the duo, who "really seemed like a 'match made in Heaven.'"

The nuptials were also a special moment for Thomas, who was "proud" to "finally see [Meghan] happy in a long-term relationship," Samantha claimed.

Credit: Courtesy of Samantha Markle/Facebook

The Last Time Samantha Spoke to Meghan

By the time Meghan and the film producer called it quits in 2013, Samantha claimed she had "really lost contact" with her half-sister. However, their last meaningful conversation wouldn't come until nearly three years later when Samantha called Meghan at her Canada apartment in December 2015.

"It seemed as though she was excited to hear from me," Samantha recalled, blaming their frequent missed communication of their "completely different schedules" at the time.

When Meghan started dating Harry in mid-2016, Samantha claimed that she heard the news from Thomas, not from the former actress.

Credit: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Meghan's Royal Change

Watching her half-sister step into the royal spotlight came with a few challenges, especially when Samantha began to notice that "somewhere along the line, she had changed." The Meghan she knew before became hard to separate from the future duchess, Samantha claimed. Thomas seemingly saw the differences in Meghan's demeanor too, allegedly telling Samantha that "she's not the same" anymore.

Credit: Rachpoot/MEGA

Why She Wanted to Stage Photos of Thomas

Before his daughter's royal wedding, Thomas was caught staging photos with the paparazzi, seemingly on Samantha's recommendation. "I received no money for the deal per my request, and the goal for my father was not money. ... It was just allowing the royals and the world to see him in his proper light, because he was so horribly labeled and photographed," Samantha claimed. However, they both felt "baited" in the end when the pictures emerged.

Credit: Facundo Arrizabalaga/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock; News Licensing/MEGA

'Stunned' By Harry's Text to Thomas

Meghan's 2018 wedding to Harry was plagued by family drama, including Thomas' staged paparazzi photos and subsequent heart attack, which caused him to miss the ceremony. When her father was in the hospital, Samantha claimed all he received from his soon-to-be son-in-law was a text message. "I knew that, had my sister done the 'right thing' by inviting him, allowing him to give his wedding speech and walk her down the aisle, and showered him with love, that none of it would've ever happened," Samantha wrote. "He only got a text from Harry after he was already in the hospital. I was stunned."

Harry's father, Prince Charles, was ultimately the one to walk Meghan down the aisle at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle. As the events played out before the royal nuptials, Samantha recalled feeling heartbroken by Thomas' missed opportunity. "After all was said and done, I heard through the grapevine, that the royal family wanted to help my father, and make sure that he was provided for, but that my sister rejected the idea," she claimed. "I was furious with her, but more than anything, I was brokenhearted by knowing that he could've been comfortable, and safe, but my sister said 'no.'"

With reporting by Diana Cooper

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