Meghan’s legal battle with her half-sister Samantha Markle could ‘knock Coronation news sideways’, Queen’s former press secretary tells PALACE CONFIDENTIAL

• The Duchess of Sussex is currently in a legal battle with her half-sister Samantha
• Dickie Arbiter said that it’s an unwelcome distraction in year of the coronation  
• READ MORE: The Coronation is an ‘impossible situation’ for King Charles

Meghan Markle’s legal ‘minefield’ could hit the Coronation and send it ‘sideways,’ after her half sister accused her of defaming her in order to ‘cover up’ her ‘false rags-to-riches’ narrative.

That’s the view of Dickie Arbiter, who was The Queen’s press secretary between 1988 and 2000, who told Jo Elvin on Palace Confidential that ‘it’s a bit of a minefield this whole thing.’

Dickie, who was also press secretary for King Charles III, told the Mail Plus talk show that it has the potential to ‘knock the Coronation news sideways’ by causing a distraction in an important year for the Royal Family. 

The Duchess of Sussex (pictured) is currently in a legal battle with her half sister Samantha Markle, who has accused Meghan of defaming her in order to ‘cover up’ her ‘false rags-to-riches’ narrative

Dickie Arbiter, (pictured) who was The Queen ‘s press secretary believes that the case brought by Samantha Markle is an unwelcome distraction in an important year for the Royal Family

‘It’s a bit like walking through a minefield that’s only been half-cleared and we really have to wait and see what the judge is going to sum up on,’ he explained.  

The elder Markle, 58, appeared with her lawyer on Wednesday in a virtual court hearing on her defamation case against her half-sister.

READ MORE: Samantha Markle accuses Meghan of defaming her in order to ‘cover up’ her ‘false rags-to-riches’ narrative 

Samantha, (pictured) who is based in Florida, claims her younger half-sister defamed her when the former royals sat down for a televised interview with Oprah in 2021

Her attorney claimed Meghan ‘got caught’ and resorted to publicly ‘putting her sister down’ because she threatened to expose her.

Lawyers for Meghan, who were also present on the call, said the claims were ‘inappropriate’ and ‘offensive’ to the former Suits star, 41, and demanded the case be dismissed over its ‘fatal defects’.

The will-they-won’t-they element of whether the Sussexes will come to the Coronation is also a headache for the Palace, argues the Mail on Sunday’s Charlotte Griffiths.

The editor-at-large said: ‘They probably do want to end the speculation and it’s annoying for them, because I actually think Meghan and Harry haven’t made up their minds either.’

Responding to the question ‘should the palace just make a decision on this?’ Charlotte explained:  ‘They can’t say “you’re banned” because that would make them look terrible.’

She continued: ‘[the palace] just don’t know whether Harry and Meghan will accept.

‘It would be very embarrassing for them if Harry and Meghan make a show of refusing the invitation. 

‘So I think that’s why they’re allowing the speculation to keep going because they’re stuck in this no man’s land.’ 

Charlotte suggested that it would be pleasant to see Meghan at the Coronation as Charles walked her down the aisle on her wedding day. 

Whereas Dickie would rather neither of them attend and said that if they did, it would be Harry making an appearance on his own.  

‘Are they going to come? It’s the $100,000 question,’ he added.

‘If they do come, I don’t think it’s they, I think it will be him rather than her. 

‘Personally I think they’re better off not coming, they don’t want to deflect from the big occasion.’

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