Meghan Markle’s sister hospitalised after confrontation with paparazzi

Meghan Markle’s sister Samantha is reportedly in hospital with a possible broken ankle and a fractured knee after a run in with a paparazzo.

According to a report by TMZ, Samantha and her boyfriend were driving towards a poll booth in Florida, when a paparazzo swerved in front of them trying to get a photo. They were forced to slam on their brakes, and Samantha was sent flying into the windshield of the car before falling onto the floor. Samantha has MS and was unable to pull herself back up.

Her boyfriend told TMZ, her foot was twisted backwards and that he drove her straight to the hospital. According to Samantha’s boyfriend, the paparazzo fled the scene.

Reports: Samantha Markle hospitalised after confrontation with paparazzi. pic.twitter.com/2ACMlLGBhq

— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 16, 2018

It comes after Meghan’s father was forced to pull out of the royal wedding after undergoing heart surgery this week. He first checked himself into hospital on Tuesday suffering with chest pains, after previously claiming he suffered a heart attack last week.

Thomas Markle told TMZ that Meghan had contacted him on Tuesday – first by phone, and then by text, and expressed her love and support after he pulled out of her nuptials. She reportedly told him she was worried about his health.

He told the site: “I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle… Of course I’d walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I’d like to be a part of history.”

Media attention around Meghan’s family has reached fever pitch in the past week, with Kensington Palace taking the unprecedented step of releasing a statement asking for the press to back off.

After Thomas revealed his health was suffering as a result of the stress and pressure, the Palace asked for “understanding and respect” in what was a “deeply personal” matter for Meghan.

“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” it said in a memo released to the press. “She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”

British tabloids in particular, have been accused of harassing the Markle family and taking their coverage of the lead up to the wedding too far. Meghan’s sister Samantha and her half-brother Thomas Jr, have only added fuel to the fire though, with both appearing in television interviews, and publishing open letters criticising their sister.

On Tuesday, Samantha admitted she had encouraged her father to stage paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the wedding – something Thomas Sr says he’s “deeply embarrassed” about now, while Thomas Jr published a nasty open letter in a US magazine calling Meghan a “below C average Hollywood actress”. However, just days later he issued a grovelling public apology and begged for an invite to her wedding.

Neither Samantha or Thomas Jr have been invited to the wedding, and with Thomas Sr out of the picture, it looks like Meghan’s mother, Doria, who is extremely close to Meghan and Harry, will walk her down the aisle.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you think the press should back off? Should Meghan’s family also quit selling their story?