Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex’s father, said he hopes to face Meghan and her “ginger husband” in court as part of the defamation case brought by the duchess’s half sister.

Mr Markle has come out in support of his older daughter Samantha Markle, saying he would be “thrilled” to be able to defend her.

In court papers, she claims Meghan told “false and malicious lies” about her during the Sussexes’ Oprah Winfrey interview and in the Finding Freedom biography.

Ms Markle claimed she was subjected to “global humiliation, shame, and hatred.”

Meghan’s father, in his new YouTube channel in collaboration with Karl Larsen – the first photographer to find and photograph him – said: “I’ve been trying for almost four years to get to see my daughter and her ginger husband in a courtroom face to face.

“I haven’t seen my grandchildren. I’d be thrilled to come to court and talk and defend my oldest daughter.”