Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are 'disgusting, cruel' for abandoning family amid coronavirus, sister says
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Meghan Markle's half-sister is speaking out against the Duchess and Prince Harry for allegedly abandoning their families amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It's been nearly three months since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their decision to step back as senior members of the royal family. But Samantha, 55, branded the pair "hypocrites" for doing so while a global health crisis is underway.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Speaking to The Sun's Dan Wootton on his talkRADIO Drivetime show this week, Markle called the couple "cruel" and "disgusting" for relocating from the United Kingdom to Canada and then Los Angeles, Calif., in a matter of months.
Meghan Markle's (right) half-sister Samantha Grant (left) has slammed her and Prince Harry for abandoning their families amid the coronavirus pandemic. (Splash/AP)
"Harry and Meghan don't seem to care about families or people around them. Their self-preservation is quite disgusting," Meghan's sibling said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They can throw stones all they want but they are the biggest hypocrites out there now."
Samantha was asked if Meghan had reached out to her immediate family members, including their father, Thomas Markle, 75, amid the pandemic.
The half-sister claimed Meghan has not communicated with them.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY SUSPEND THEIR OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: 'THANK YOU TO THIS COMMUNITY'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry recently relocated to Los Angeles, Calif. from Canada. (Getty)
"It's a devastating pandemic, the idea of abandoning their families without so much of a phone call is just shocking," she added.
"And now to abandon the British people and the royal family at such a critical time it is almost, it takes me back to the colosseum in Roman times," Samantha said. "It just seems so horribly cruel."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meghan's half-sister also blasted the couple for the confusion surrounding their security costs. The issue of whether or not taxpayers' money would be used to protect the couple and their son, Archie, became a topic of debate in recent months as Canadians were up in arms about the possibility of having to pay for it.
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY 'PERSONALLY' COVERING SECURITY COSTS, REPORT SAYS
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend The Endeavour Fund Awards at Mansion House in London, England. (Samir Hussein/WireImage)
"To make the taxpayer pay for their security when the world is dying, it’s shocking grandiosity," Markle commented.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The same concerns were raised in the United States when President Trump tweeted that American taxpayers would not be covering security costs for the couple.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson told Fox News that the Duke and Duchess had "no plans" for that cost to fall on the public.
"Privately funded security arrangements have been made," a spokesperson told Fox.
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According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Prince Charles plans to assist the pair with $2.5 million that will likely cover half of their estimated security costs.
Harry's father, Prince Charles, 71, tested positive for COVID-19 last month. The Prince of Wales has since recovered from the virus and recently declared he is "on the other side" of it in a video posted to the Clarence House Instagram account this week.