14 January 2023 , 19:10
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A British-born lawyer and climber has a new mountain to conquer after being appointed to broker peace between the Duchess of Sussex and her sister.
Mary Ruth Houston, 61, has been hired as a mediator in a bitter defamation case between Meghan, 41, and her sibling Samantha Markle, 58.
Ms Houston will attempt to help them find a resolution in a last-gasp bid to avoid a jury trial in Tampa, Florida.
Ahead of the meeting in November, a source told the Sunday People : “Mary Ruth is a keen climber and has scaled a number of mountains, including the highest active volcano in the world.
“Her experience is likely to help her because there’s definitely a risk of dealing with eruptions in this case.”
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Samantha launched the case after claiming her reputation was wrecked by comments the duchess made about her childhood.
She aired them during a TV interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
Mediator Mary-Ruth Houston
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)Samantha, who has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair, was also angered by claims in Meghan’s 2020 biography Finding Freedom, which was written by two journalist friends.
Samantha, who wrote her own book The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister, wants £60,000 in damages from the mum-of-two.
Former senior royal Meghan played legal executive Rachel Zane in US drama Suits before she married Prince Harry, whose bombshell memoir Spare hit shelves this week.
If the sisters fail to reach an agreement through Ms Houston’s mediation, they are scheduled to come face-to-face in a jury trial next January.
Meghan's half-sister Samantha Markle (ITV)Meghan and Samantha have different mums but share the same dad, Thomas Markle Snr.
Ms Houston was born in London before being raised in the US city of Durham, North Carolina, by her parents Elgin and Muriel, both university English professors.
She studied English at Georgetown University in Washington DC then graduated from Harvard Law School and started her career in New York.
Ms Houston is now a managing partner of law firm Shutts & Bowen based in Orlando, Florida.
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Harry's book Spare came out this week (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/REX/Shutterstock)She specialises in employment law and is certified as a mediator in Florida courts.
The mum-of-two is also a keen mountain climber and hiker.
She has scaled the highest active volcano in the world, 19,000ft Cotopaxi in Ecuador, South America, and 20,000ft Stok Kangri in the Indian Himalayas.
Ms Houston scaled Africa’s highest peak, 19,000ft Kilimanjaro, for her 50th birthday in 2011.
Our source added: “This case between Meghan and her sister is likely to be Mary Ruth’s biggest challenge yet.”