Meghan Markle's half sister, Samantha Markle, says the duchess' Remembrance tribute was an 'exploitative photo opportunity'

• Meghan Markle's half sister, Samantha Markle, has criticized the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for releasing photos of their private Remembrance tribute.
• Speaking with Dan Wootton on the UK's talkRadio, Samantha implied Meghan was hypocritical for releasing them after her reaction to Thomas Markle's staged paparazzi photos in 2018.
• The photos, released before Meghan Markle's wedding, showed her father studying "Images of Great Britain: A Pictorial Tour Through History" and attending a tuxedo fitting.

Meghan Markle's half sister, Samantha Markle, has criticized the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Remembrance Day photos.

Speaking with Dan Wootton on the UK's talkRadio, Samantha Markle described her sister's tribute to fallen soldiers at a California cemetery on Sunday as an "exploitative photo opportunity."

Meghan and Prince Harry's private visit to the gravesites of two Commonwealth soldiers at the Los Angeles National Cemetery was photographed by a preapproved photographer, Lee Morgan, on Remembrance Sunday.

"Well, don't get me started on the concept of photo scandals, because allegedly that was the reason she disowned our father," Samantha said, alluding to Thomas Markle's staged paparazzi photos ahead of Meghan and Harry's wedding in 2018, which he ultimately did not attend.

The posed photos showed the elder Markle getting ready for the wedding, with images of him studying "Images of Great Britain: A Pictorial Tour Through History," attending a tuxedo fitting, and attending an outdoor workout session.

In legal documents for Meghan's lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday, obtained by Insider, the duchess said her father refused to attend the wedding because he was "so publicly shamed" by the staged photos being made public.

Samantha Markle continued: "So I was a bit shocked to see that on such an important topic — Remembrance and gratitude towards so many who have sacrificed their lives so we can live as we do today, as Harry said — that gratitude would be shown by an exploitative photo opportunity over fallen heroes."

The couple also received criticism from the "Good Morning Britain" host Piers Morgan, who called the photos a "distasteful PR stunt."

Morgan added that he believed the photos were designed to get back at the palace after royal courtiers reportedly denied the duke's request to lay a wreath on his behalf at the royal family's public Remembrance service.

He was denied on the grounds that "he is no longer representing the monarchy," according to The Times.

Samantha Markle also spoke about the couple's son, Archie Harrison, saying she didn't know whether she'd ever get to meet him.

"Archie has become somewhat of a phantom in the eyes of everybody, because he must be walking now and he wasn't present at the memorial," she said. "I think the world hopes for the best for him, but I can't address it now because we haven't seen him and I don't know that we will sadly."

Representatives for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

• Read more:
• Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face criticism over photos of their private Remembrance Day tribute in a California cemetery after royal family's public ceremony
• How the British press destroyed Meghan Markle's relationship with her father Thomas Markle before she was even part of the royal family
• Nigeria's Prince Kunle says Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Netflix careers will only be successful if they respect royal tradition
• Buckingham Palace reportedly denied Prince Harry's request to be represented at the royal family's Remembrance Day service