ECHOES
Meghan Markle’s Sister in Hospital After Paparazzi Crash
Her estranged half-sister Samantha is in hospital after the car she was being driven in crashed after being pursued by paparazzi.
ADRIAN DENNIS
Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister Samantha Grant has been hospitalized after her car was involved in a crash while it was being chased by paparazzi.
The crash, which recalls the incident that killed Princess Diana, took place in Florida on Wednesday afternoon, and resulted in Grant being hospitalized with a broken ankle and fractured knee.
Samantha’s boyfriend told TMZ they were driving in Florida near a toll booth when they had a “paparazzi confrontation” and hit a concrete barrier.
Grant has been a vocal and persistent critic of Meghan. Meghan’s dad, Thomas, has said he believes her vicious attacks on Meghan have been one factor in his heart attack. He has also blamed his illness on the stress of seeing his son, Thomas Jr., write a letter slamming Meghan as “jaded and conceited.”
Markle Sr. said he had three stents put in during an operation in a Mexican hospital on Wednesday. The operation was a success, but there appears to be no chance he will make it to the wedding on Saturday.
He told TMZ: “I’m OK. It will take a long time to heal. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited.”
Samantha, who has multiple sclerosis, said that reports that Kensington Palace had offered support to Thomas Markle in Mexico were wide of the mark, and said she had sent him money to survive.
She said of the claims: “That is not true or he would not have been living in his place. He’d have been with security. I have receipts showing I’ve sent my father money twice by MoneyGram because he needed it.
“He is badly in need of help. I’m dreadfully worried about him. He’s completely on his own.”
Thomas Markle previously told TMZ that his daughter Samantha’s poisonous attacks on Meghan were stressing him out to such an extent that he had to “pop a valium” each time he heard one of her outbursts.
Meanwhile, serious questions are being asked about how Prince Harry’s team got the planning for Saturday’s wedding so wrong.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay reports that palace palace staff are referring to the chaos surrounding the wedding as “the Markle debacle,” writing, “Prince Harry, well-meaning but woefully inexperienced, has been making the key decisions about his wedding.”