Meghan Markle's Estranged Half-Sister Samantha to Release Memoir About Royal Member With 'Hidden Truths'

Meghan Markle's estranged half-sister Samantha Markle has been teasing a memoir that would pull back the curtain on her difficult relationship with the Duchess of Sussex, and now the book is finally coming. Barnes & Noble will publish The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister Part 1 on Jan. 17 and listed the book for pre-order. Samantha, 56, announced the memoir in 2016 and has reportedly not seen Markle since 2008.

The book's synopsis promises "the truth" about Samanta's family "against all odds and ultimatums, as a royal fairy tale plummets from the tea towels. Sometimes the truth really is stranger than fiction. Samantha's author bio notes that she has battled multiple sclerosis, so she is "no stranger to challenges or tenacity." The bio notes, "With one screenplay in pre-production and her first book completed, she continues to roll uphill as a 'squeaky wheel,' inspiring others and defending truth, despite stereotypes and 'fake news.'"

Samantha has been talking about writing a memoir since before Prince Harry and Markle were even engaged, notes The Daily Mail. She announced the book in April 2016, when reports of the royal couple's romance surfaced. Harry and Markle did not announce their engagement until November 2017.

In February 2019, a close friend of Markle's told The Daily Mail the former Suits actress felt she was being "taken advantage of" by her older half-sister. At that time, Markle was seven months pregnant with her and Harry's first child, Archie, and Samantha was targeting an April 2019 release date for her book.

Markle's friend said she stopped reading interviews with her family after hearing about Samantha's literary plans. "She cried when she found out about it," the friend told the Daily Mail. "Out of everything that's been said, the one thing that really upset her was that [the book]. She and Samantha never had a very good relationship and she feels her sister is using her position for profit."

The "Part 1" subtitle for Samantha's book suggests she plans to write another volume. In February 2019, she told the Daily Star she was already working on a second book under the title In the Shadows of the Duchess. She planned to "cover everything from behind the scenes that the world does not know about... And trust me, there is a lot." Samantha, who lives in Florida, told the outlet that she has a "very big mouth and speak my mind – as the world can see – at any cost, even if it makes me unpopular, but I tell the truth even if it makes me unpopular."