Competition between the royal couples is heating up, as Meghan Markle denies lying to Oprah Winfrey

Meghan Markle is facing a legal storm over “lies” she told about her childhood, as Prince William takes his brotherly competition with Prince Harry up a notch.

Competition may be heating up between royal brothers, Princes William and Harry, if the Duke of Cambridge’s latest move is anything to go by.

According to royal commentator, Omid Scobie, William and Kate have set their sights on America, where Harry and Meghan’s stars continue to rise, in an attempt to compete for US popularity.

The Duke of Cambridge recently announced his first trip to America since 2014, where he is set to present the annual Earthshot Prize in Boston. The move follows an interview last Summer with People magazine, which has a huge US following.

Competition is heating up between the royal brothers. Picture: AFP

Scobie said the sudden interest in America may be a move to claw back some of the coverage which has been dominated by Meghan and Prince Harry.

Writing for Yahoo! News, Mr Scobie said he wondered if a little competitiveness with his brother might be in the mix, too.

“Harry’s popularity in Britain may be suffering, but his rise in the US has seen the Archewell Foundation receive huge attention from an impressive list of donors, and his charitable efforts and campaigning has quickly seen him acknowledged by the likes of Forbes and TIME, who named him and Meghan two of the world’s most influential people,” Scobie wrote.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge used to dominate the US media’s Royal coverage, it may be that they are returning for a second round, he said.

MEGHAN DENIES LYING TO OPRAH

Meghan Markle has denied she lied to chat show guru Oprah Winfrey about being an only child, insisting her comments were meant to be a subjective statement of her feelings, and not “objective fact”, a defamation case has heard.

The Duchess of Sussex is being sued by her half-sister Samantha Markle in Florida over her bombshell interview with Winfrey and the Finding Freedom biography.

Samantha Markle claims she was subjected to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale”.

Harry and Meghan during their bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview. Picture: CBS

Samantha Markle, who is the daughter of Thomas Markle from his first marriage, is seeking $75,000 ($108,000 AUD) in damages.

Meghan’s high-powered US legal team has moved to dismiss the case in legal papers submitted to the court, The Telegraph UK reports.

Samantha Markle has brought the legal action over what she claims are “false and malicious lies” about Meghan’s fairytale “rags-to-royalty” story.

She has taken particular issue with Meghan’s comments to Winfrey that she “grew up as an only child”. Lawyers representing the Duchess of Sussex called the lawsuit “baseless and absurd”, and a “continuation of a pattern of disturbing behaviour”.

An emotional Meghan wipes a tear away during the Oprah interview.

In paperwork filed this week, Meghan’s lawyers said: “Plaintiff [Samantha] first asserts that she can disprove that Meghan ‘grew up as an only child’.

“But this perception is inherently unfalsifiable. It is hard to imagine a more personal and subjective feeling than how one views their own childhood.

“Moreover, Plaintiff’s opposition completely ignores the context of the statement, where Ms Winfrey asked Meghan about her ‘relationship’ with Plaintiff (to whom Ms Winfrey referred as her ‘half-sister on her father’s side’).

“Meghan’s response to that question that she ‘grew up as an only child’ was obviously not meant to be a statement of objective fact that she had no genetic siblings or half-siblings.

“Rather, it was a textbook example of a subjective statement about how a person feels about her childhood.”

Samantha Markle is taking legal action. Picture: Fox13

It comes amid news Prince Harry and Meghan Markle appear to have made a generous donation in the names of their children to a family mourning the sudden loss of their nine-year-old son.

The Sussexes reportedly made a US$5000 (A$7200) donation on behalf of Archie and Lilibet following the tragic death of Kelly McKee Zajfen’s nine-year-old son, George.

The donation was made through a joint account directly to the fundraiser GoFundMe, which was set up for the Zajfen family.

The royal couple’s relationship to the former model is unknown, but both families live in California.

George’s cause of death has not been revealed but it’s understood it was sudden and unexpected.

Ms Zajfen, 42, announced her heartbreaking loss on Instagram: “My sweet baby boy. My world is shattered into a million pieces. I have little ability to breathe. Walk. Function. Sit. Stand.

“You were the light of my life. Your smile made the room so bright and your heart was the most perfect and sweetest.

“You left this Earth and left behind so many people who loved you. I don’t know how I’m able to go on. How I can function. How I can be the light and have joy ever again but I’m going to try.”

Meghan and Harry have donated to a family reeling from a tragedy. Picture: Getty Images

The entrepreneur, who is also a mother to nine-year-old daughter Lily with husband Julian, said she will “try hard for your beautiful twin sister”.

It’s not clear how she’s connected to Meghan and Harry, but the Duchess’ ex-husband Trevor Engelson and his wife Tracey Kurland also made a $1000 donation to the grieving family, suggesting they could be old friends, according to the Daily Mail.

Kate Jefferson – a friend of the Zajfen family – said she decided to organise the fundraiser to help with “funeral arrangements and anything else the Zajfen family may need while transitioning from this tragedy”. Donations had reached more than US$58,000 ($A83500) on Tuesday afternoon local time.

“My name is Kate and I’m raising funds for the Zajfen family so that they may grieve the loss of their sweet angel boy, George,” she wrote.

“He was the happiest, kindest boy that walked the earth. George’s heart was compassionate, his smile contagious, and his love for his twin sister and parents was palpable.

“This unexpected loss is beyond devastating and the Zajfen family will need time to even begin to heal.

The royal pair’s kind act has touched hearts. Picture: AFP

She continued: “No parent should lose a child, and no child should have to endure the loss of their twin. Our hearts are broken for Kelly, Julian, Lily and their entire family.

“The pain that their friends and online community feels is immense, and we want to help unburden the Zajfen family in any way that we can while George’s funeral and celebration of life are being planned.

“Kelly and Julian are two of the most giving, philanthropic humans and now it is our time to give back to them.”

Ms Zajfen is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Alliance of Moms, which seeks to support pregnant and parenting teens in LA’s foster care system, helping them build a more positive future for themselves and their children, according to her bio.

The mother documented her family life with her children on the Instagram page @_heartmom_.

Several celebrities offered their condolences to the Zafjen family online.

“Sending you a tremendous amount of love Kelly, I’m so incredibly shattered for you and all who loved George,” Australian actress Teresa Palmer posted on Instagram.

“What a beautiful darling, RIP sweet angel.”

Actress Sarah Michelle Gellar added: “Kelly sending you love and strength.

Actress Jenna Dewan wrote: “There are just no words. I am so so unbelievably sorry and will be sending you all of my strength and love.”