Meghan Markle's half-sister appeared on ITV's 'Good Morning Britain, where she got candid about the family drama.
Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha Grant, appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain on Monday, where she got candid about the family drama surrounding the Duchess of Sussex.
Samantha, 53, has been an outspoke critic of Meghan, but insists she's not "cashing in" on Meghan's fame.
"I worked in media most of my life and in broadcasting, so because my sister is suddenly royal isn't grounds for me to stop doing all of that," Samantha said. "Let's face it -- we all have to survive. Money makes the world go round, so if you want to call that cashing in, that's fine, but I think no one in media would refuse a paycheck for talking about the royal and, as a family, we're not subject to royal protocol. Why would I stop living because we have a family issue going on?"
"No one has a copyright on our life experiences and so, I think the public forgets that within the family, we're each individuals with our own life experiences," she continued. "With all due respect, it's not just Meghan. We're entitled to share that. We're entitled to be open about it and if we can shed some light on some issues for the public, then great and we can enjoy the process. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. It's not disparaging. It's not harmful."
Most of all, Samantha said she is worried about their father, Thomas Markle, and wants Meghan and Thomas to repair their relationship. In an interview with The Sun earlier this month, Thomas said that he thought Meghan looked "terrified" at official royal engagements and criticized her style. He also said he hasn't been able to get in touch with her since they last spoke on the day of her wedding to Prince Harry.
"I think a lot of the public is concerned, like, 'Why are you utilizing public channels?'" Samantha commented. "Well, because private channels have been exhausted, and to no avail, and so when that happens, you know, what can one do except reach out publicly?"
As for Samantha's recent tweets that she would hold Meghan responsible if Thomas dies, she said she regrets the statement "to a degree."
"But I was really feeling that now it is so critical, and so unfair, that if there's a misunderstanding that she reach out to him and she clarify because life is very short," she explained of her thinking at the time of the tweet. "He's 74 years old and I felt if something were to happen to him and he passed away, I don't think any of us could live with the fact that he died unhappy and there was not closure. I believe that she would want that also."
When asked if she thought she was helping the situation by continuing to speak out publicly, she replied, "Well, there's an old saying, the squeaky wheel gets the grease."
ET recently spoke to royal expert Katie Nicholl, who talked about how the royal family plans to deal with Meghan's family drama.
"The strategy at Kensington Palace, I understand, is, 'Say nothing, don't dignify these comments, these interviews, these articles with a response,'" Nicholl said. "The royal family has had more than their fair share of scandals. This won't faze them."
Nicholl also said a reconciliation between Thomas and Meghan appears unlikely anytime soon.
"I think the fact that he has continually spoken, he is not respecting her wish that he just stays quiet, [and that] has probably upset her more than anything else and possibly made a reconciliation from Meghan's point of view almost impossible now," Nicholl said. "I don't think there are any concrete plans at the moment for Meghan to go out and see her father. I don't even believe they have spoken on the phone since the day of the royal wedding."
ET spoke to Predator star Olivia Munn at Comic-Con last week, who called out Samantha after she revealed that Predator writer and director, Shane Black, actually used to date Samantha.
“Shane Black used to date Samantha Markle, the really crazy sister,” Munn claimed. “That is amazing. Shane Black and Samantha Markle. I think we should reunite them.”
“I think she’s single, I think he’s single," she continued. "He could be Prince Harry’s brother-in-law. Who doesn’t want to make that happen? And maybe Samantha would calm down. She’s real angry. She says a lot of crazy stuff in the press.”
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