Thomas Markle, father of Meghan

[nkereina]

Evidently Meghan at some point had some kind of a relationship with him if it was true he was supposed to walk her down the aisle before the paparazzi photo scandal broke. If she had little or no relationship with him at all, I don't know why she would opt to have him walk her down the aisle in front of millions. If there was little to no relationship, she could have simply not invited him or invited him as a guest like her mother and walk down the aisle alone like she did. So he was important enough in her life and she trusted him enough to have the honor of walking her down the aisle in such a spotlight, until everything happened.

So, I do think its sad that whatever semblance of a relationship they had at one point is now gone because he keeps making stupid decisions and she has an air to maintain. IMO, I think her father genuinely thought he wasn't doing anything wrong by taking those photos but has since perpetuated the situation by not keeping his mouth shut. And I think the half-sister is a big influence.

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

My thoughts are "Dude, shut up. Learn from your ex-wife"

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Evidently Meghan at some point had some kind of a relationship with him if it was true he was supposed to walk her down the aisle before the paparazzi photo scandal broke. If she had little or no relationship with him at all, I don't know why she would opt to have him walk her down the aisle in front of millions. If there was little to no relationship, she could have simply not invited him or invited him as a guest like her mother and walk down the aisle alone like she did. So he was important enough in her life and she trusted him enough to have the honor of walking her down the aisle in such a spotlight, until everything happened.

So, I do think its sad that whatever semblance of a relationship they had at one point is now gone because he keeps making stupid decisions and she has an air to maintain. IMO, I think her father genuinely thought he wasn't doing anything wrong by taking those photos but has since perpetuated the situation by not keeping his mouth shut. And I think the half-sister is a big influence.

I agree with the bolded. The older sister seems to be driving the bus here, and the Dad, for whatever reason, seems not to have either good judgement about any of it, or a filter. There is talk recently that Meghan and Harry will travel to Mexico to see him.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Evidently Meghan at some point had some kind of a relationship with him if it was true he was supposed to walk her down the aisle before the paparazzi photo scandal broke. If she had little or no relationship with him at all, I don't know why she would opt to have him walk her down the aisle in front of millions. If there was little to no relationship, she could have simply not invited him or invited him as a guest like her mother and walk down the aisle alone like she did. So he was important enough in her life and she trusted him enough to have the honor of walking her down the aisle in such a spotlight, until everything happened.

So, I do think its sad that whatever semblance of a relationship they had at one point is now gone because he keeps making stupid decisions and she has an air to maintain. IMO, I think her father genuinely thought he wasn't doing anything wrong by taking those photos but has since perpetuated the situation by not keeping his mouth shut. And I think the half-sister is a big influence.

In all the time they were dating and then in the 8 months or so they were engaged Meghan never felt the need to actually introduce her fiance to her father. Harry has only ever spoken to him on the phone. It was obviously not a matter of time/money/transportation etc. then what? If she wanted Harry to meet her father it would have happened. I don't think she actually wanted him at the wedding and the photo scandal helped her seal the deal. The "heart attack" was to save face. Her mom's side of the family has never given interviews but nobody from that side was invited. I think it tells a lot about her that she had only 1 family member at such a high profile wedding. They cannot all be bad people.

 

[Imzadi]

I've only seen snippets on the news, but I got the impression that he was just out for attention.

No, he is out for MONEY. He's been interviewed several times by TMZ, which infamously does NOT pay for interviews or tips. Right after his alleged heart surgery, I found it quite strange at the time, that this man who was under such media scrutiny by everywhere, suddenly had NO tabloid reporter ever get a photo of him leaving any hospital after his operation. AND even stranger, he spoke to a TMZ reporter on the day of his operation. He was lucid enough to give an update as to the operation, instead of being loopy, and out of it.

Anyway, since TMZ wasn't paying for any interviews, Thomas Markle had said he was not giving anymore public interviews and just wanted to be left alone. He also told his family to also shut up and leave Meghan alone.

Skip several weeks, and the British tabloid, The Sun, which does notoriously pay for interviews, suddenly has interviews with T. Markle. In the first one(?) he tells all about his phone conversation with Harry, stating specifically what Harry said. This is a real no-no with the Royal family. I had said, on the wedding thread, when he supposedly canceled out on walking Meghan down the aisle, that maybe they didn't want him there, (after finding out he got money for those fakes pics of him buying clothes,) as that would give him ammo for decades to talk about, describing every single conversation he had or overheard by the guests, at the various events he got to attend, from the rehearsal dinner, the wedding itself, and the reception. Turns out, I am right about him having loose lips.

The second interview(?) was then about his concerns for Meghan's happiness. How she may be trapped and the phony expressions he sees on her face.

Third interview was of him saying he has had no contact with Meghan. The phone number he was given has been turned off and the Royal contact person he had spoken to during the wedding planning no longer answers any of his calls or messages. He now wants to go to England, (paid for by The Sun, I'm sure, ) to try to see her any way he can. I'm sure The Sun will follow & pay him "royally" for pics of him standing at the gate of Buckingham/Kensington Palaces, talking to a guard, who won't talk back to him, trying to get an interview with Meghan. The Sun found him to be a porker. Stuff him with enough money and he will squeal.

Meghan's half-sister is now in negotiations with the British version of "Big Brother," where she will talk about Meghan in the same way, former The Celebrity Apprentice contestant & also former White House staffer, Omorosa, talked about her alleged interactions with the President and what went on behind closed doors of the White House on the American "Big Brother."

I read Meghan's half-brother may also be surfacing for another 15 minutes of fame about Meghan.


Contrast Meghan's nutty family Kate Middleton's, who has NEVER publicly talked to the press about Kate, Will, or anything having to do with the Royals. Yes, Kate's parents are mega-millionaires themselves. But the family seems to have one thing (besides money,) that Meghan's doesn't have: CLASS.

 

[Imzadi]

Evidently Meghan at some point had some kind of a relationship with him if it was true he was supposed to walk her down the aisle before the paparazzi photo scandal broke. If she had little or no relationship with him at all, I don't know why she would opt to have him walk her down the aisle in front of millions. If there was little to no relationship, she could have simply not invited him or invited him as a guest like her mother and walk down the aisle alone like she did.

If she originally didn't have him walk her down the aisle, the media would have been all over that weeks sooner, digging up dirt on why there is not a good relationship between them. I think she & the Palace thought they could still present a "loving family" image, to just have him walk her down the aisle. Then disengage from him again.

It would have worked, had it not been found out that a tabloid paid him for those fake pics of him trying to better his public image. They were just 3-4 days out from the wedding. It almost went without a hiccup, free & clear.

He did temporarily retreat from the spotlight after being found out. Either he canceled walking down the aisle, or the Palace un-invited him, allowing him to make up some story to save face. And he came up with the whole heart attack & operation story.

But, his Achilles heel seems to be wanting money from where ever he can get it. Interestingly, when the half-brother wrote a very public letter to Prince Harry, plastered all over the newspapers, he said how Meghan wouldn't giver their father any money once she became famous. WHY should she? She wasn't that famous yet, being on small TV show on a cable TV station and doing a couple Hallmark movies. She didn't know what her next gig would be Suits gets canceled. How many actors do we know, who have a good supporting cast role, never really find another vehicle again? And if she was estranged from her father, again, why would she give him money? Plus, maybe she did. But, when he kept asking for more and more, that could be part of their estrangement. And now, The Sun is paying him for "Meghan" stories & staying in the public eye. Exactly what Meghan & the Palace didn't want.

I remember when Meghan did make a public statement after her father's alleged heart operation. She wished him well, saying she ". . . will always CARE about him." Not "love" but "care." That doesn't sound like someone who has a deep relationship to her father. It was more, to me, a signaling to the world that there really isn't one. She probably already suspected that he wouldn't keep his trap shut.

 

[nkereina]

In all the time they were dating and then in the 8 months or so they were engaged Meghan never felt the need to actually introduce her fiance to her father. Harry has only ever spoken to him on the phone. It was obviously not a matter of time/money/transportation etc. then what? If she wanted Harry to meet her father it would have happened. I don't think she actually wanted him at the wedding and the photo scandal helped her seal the deal. The "heart attack" was to save face. Her mom's side of the family has never given interviews but nobody from that side was invited. I think it tells a lot about her that she had only 1 family member at such a high profile wedding. They cannot all be bad people.

8 month is not a long time, especially for a royal family and new girlfriend who are in the spotlight for a million other things. It never seemed peculiar to me that Harry never met her father in those 8 months when they have a thousand other obligations and are thousands of miles away. He did speak to him over the phone and asked permission prior to the engagement, which is evidence of some kind of relationship. And to my knowledge, her mother had only met him once or twice before and never met the royal family until wedding weekend.

If she originally didn't have him walk her down the aisle, the media would have been all over that weeks sooner, digging up dirt on why there is not a good relationship between them. I think she & the Palace thought they could still present a "loving family" image, to just have him walk her down the aisle. Then disengage from him again.

Maybe. But she refrained from inviting siblings and other family, which caused the media to do the same and dig up the dirt on those strained relationships. That didn't seem to deter her from not inviting them. And Meghan has had to conform quite a bit to royal standards to be in the position she's in. If she were to fake a father-daughter relationship solely for the sake of appearances on the most important day of her life, I'd lose some respect for her and the royals.

 

[Imzadi]

I agree with the bolded. The older sister seems to be driving the bus here, and the Dad, for whatever reason, seems not to have either good judgement about any of it, or a filter. There is talk recently that Meghan and Harry will travel to Mexico to see him.

I don't think the half-sister is driving the bus in regards to the father. I think The Sun is driving the bus. And he is driving his own bus. People keep talking like he's some doddering idiot, incapable of making up his own mind. Where are you guys getting info that he's a doddering idiot? I only watch TMZ & TMZ Live and they talk to him all the time by phone. Harvey Levin, himself talked to Thomas a few times, especially during the whole "heart operation" situation. One of the reporters, (the blond guy on TMZ Live,) is dedicated to Royal events, has a direct line to him (and the Palace.) They never present him as doddering or intellectually incapacitated in any way.

I think the half-sis is driving her own bus as a money wagon for herself. She is capitalizing on what the father is doing. Meghan probably hasn't talked to her father in years. Maybe an occasional Christmas & birthday card. He had a birthday this past week and suddenly the half-sis is in an uproar that their dad didn't get a "Happy birthday" and it might cause their dad another heart attack? This is just a typical dysfunctional family, unfortunately played out in the media.

 

[Imzadi]

Maybe. But she refrained from inviting siblings and other family, which caused the media to do the same and dig up the dirt on those strained relationships. That didn't seem to deter her from not inviting them. And Meghan has had to conform quite a bit to royal standards to be in the position she's in.

But, the section of her being walked down the aisle is what has been recorded for all time. Around the time of Meghan & Harry's wedding, Charles & Diana's wedding replayed all over TV. Even though we all know that's a sham. Who the guests are or aren't isn't talked about much.

If she were to fake a father-daughter relationship solely for the sake of appearances on the most important day of her life, I'd lose some respect for her and the royals.

Families, less famous, fake their relationships all the time. Many families' holiday pics are faked with happy smiles and go in family photo albums. We have several horrible In-Law threads every year around holiday time, where people, for some reason, feel year after year, that they have to spend the holidays with their In-laws, the talk about their mess on the DIS. Meghan's family is no different. It's is just being publicly aired out in venues even more famous than the DIS. And their real identities are out - unlike the DIS - which is Googleable, BTW.

 

[nkereina]

But, the section of her being walked down the aisle is what has been recorded for all time. Around the time of Meghan & Harry's wedding, Charles & Diana's wedding replayed all over TV. Even though we all know that's a sham. Who the guests are or aren't isn't talked about much.

Families, less famous, fake their relationships all the time. Many families' holiday pics are faked with happy smiles and go in family photo albums. We have several horrible In-Law threads every year around holiday time, where people, for some reason, feel year after year, that they have to spend the holidays with their In-laws, the talk about their mess on the DIS. Meghan's family is no different. It's is just being publicly aired out in venues even more famous than the DIS. And their real identities are out - unlike the DIS - which is Googleable, BTW.

Eh, agree to disagree. I'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt in hoping she's not disingenuous enough to include her father in such an important role, and then rake him through the coals the first instance he has a misstep with the paps. Which, if we go with the theory him walking her down the aisle was all for appearances, should have been expected. If he can't be trusted, is surrounded by drama, and there's no meaningful relationship, then I would think the royal family could have found a good excuse to not include him from the start so they could have avoided this whole mess to begin with. Heck, they could have even said he had health troubles and couldn't travel - which ended up being true (or at least the contrived story). This is why I think there was some semblance of a real relationship between them at one point.

 

[Imzadi]

and then rake him through the coals the first instance he has a misstep with the paps.

When & where had Meghan rake him through the coals? As far as I know, Meghan has only said one public statement about him. The one where she's said she will always "care" about him. I think, more than likely, she was hesitant about having him walk her down the aisle. They were estranged. She may have told the Palace about her concerns. But, he IS her father and yes, most women would like their father to walk them down the aisle. Maybe, she hoped he had changed in the years she hadn't talked to him. Maybe, as in most dysfunctional families, one really, really, hopes this time can be different, and the relative will behave functionally for ONCE.

But, when it was found he colluded with the tabloids and sold fake pics & story, then it was proven, yet again, that this leopard has NOT changed his spots. And she had to finally, once & for all, disengage from him.

How about giving her that benefit of the doubt? If you don't come from a dysfunctional family then you do not know the many, many, many different LAYERS of dysfunction, how they appear and in what ways. We've seen, not only is the father dysfunctional, but the half-sister AND the half-brother are too. And usually the sane family members, hope time & time and time AGAIN that THIS time that dysfunctional family member will be different, Just. This. One. Time.

Because they don't want to cut ties. These people are supposed to be "family," functional or not. But the common definition of INsanity is: "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome."

Perhaps, Meghan had tried one last time by inviting him to walk her down the aisle. But, she's had to finally and firmly, once & for all, disengage from him. If you've read anything about what he's done these last few interviews or watched them. Can you really say she's WRONG to cut ties? He's exploiting his biological relationship with her for money. THAT has been proven. Not what her part has been.

 

[TipsyTraveler]

In all the time they were dating and then in the 8 months or so they were engaged Meghan never felt the need to actually introduce her fiance to her father. Harry has only ever spoken to him on the phone. It was obviously not a matter of time/money/transportation etc. then what? If she wanted Harry to meet her father it would have happened. I don't think she actually wanted him at the wedding and the photo scandal helped her seal the deal. The "heart attack" was to save face. Her mom's side of the family has never given interviews but nobody from that side was invited. I think it tells a lot about her that she had only 1 family member at such a high profile wedding. They cannot all be bad people.

Here’s the thing with family dysfunction. You’re talking about something that goes back generations and carries down the line from there. It is absolutely typical for it to permeate through every, or nearly every, member of a family. It truly is a toxin that poisons the whole pool.

I’ll (once again ) use my own experiences as an example. First, my toxic parents couldn’t manage to maintain relationships with the vast majority of the extended family. There was constant conflict and arguments and we’re-no-longer-speaking scenarios between them and... well, everybody. I grew up in a house that was on “family land,” meaning everybody within a certain radius was related to us, yet at any given time my parents weren’t on speaking terms with half of the households in the area. My father didn’t speak to his uncle, our direct neighbor, for 11 years. He didn’t speak to his sister’s family, our neighbor on the other side, for 8 years. Then there was my mother who brought her own brand of lunacy to the situation. Jealous and paranoid that her child might like someone else better than her, she actively sought to alienate me from everyone on my father’s side of the family and half of her own. Add in a heaping pile of in-house abuse, and my 17 y.o. brother cut and ran when I was five, so I don’t know him either. As a kid growing up in this mess, you don’t have the opportunity to even develop relationships with much of your family.

Then, of course, there were a number of “black sheep” family members, aka, the ones with enough common sense to see the dysfunction and get out. They existed mostly as family lore. As in, my mother has four siblings but two have moved to the other side of the country and won’t talk to the family anymore. So, there are entire branches of the family tree I’ve never even met, or only met once decades ago kind of thing.

What’s left, once all those people are eliminated, were the family members who had somehow managed to keep a relationship with my parents, and the reason they could do that was because they were part of the dysfunction themselves. They were the enablers of abuse, the ones who would put a child in harm’s way if it kept the heat off of them, or they were abusers in their own right. After all, my dysfunctional parents weren’t formed in a vacuum — they were products of their own dysfunctional homes.

By the time I reached adulthood, I had no meaningful family relationships and the extraordinarily small percentage of my relatives that I was in contact with weren’t healthy relationships. When I got married, I had one fewer family member in attendance than Meghan did. What that says about me? I was strong enough to break the cycle.

I’ll give Meghan the benefit of the doubt and assume that her lack of family attendees says more about her family origins than it does her.

 

[Imzadi]

Here’s the thing with family dysfunction. You’re talking about something that goes back generations and carries down the line from there. It is absolutely typical for it to permeate through every, or nearly every, member of a family. It truly is a toxin that poisons the whole pool.

I’ll (once again ) use my own experiences as an example. First, my toxic parents couldn’t manage to maintain relationships with the vast majority of the extended family. There was constant conflict and arguments and we’re-no-longer-speaking scenarios between them and... well, everybody. I grew up in a house that was on “family land,” meaning everybody within a certain radius was related to us, yet at any given time my parents weren’t on speaking terms with half of the households in the area. My father didn’t speak to his uncle, our direct neighbor, for 11 years. He didn’t speak to his sister’s family, our neighbor on the other side, for 8 years. Then there was my mother who brought her own brand of lunacy to the situation. Jealous and paranoid that her child might like someone else better than her, she actively sought to alienate me from everyone on my father’s side of the family and half of her own. Add in a heaping pile of in-house abuse, and my 17 y.o. brother cut and ran when I was five, so I don’t know him either. As a kid growing up in this mess, you don’t have the opportunity to even develop relationships with much of your family.

Then, of course, there were a number of “black sheep” family members, aka, the ones with enough common sense to see the dysfunction and get out. They existed mostly as family lore. As in, my mother has four siblings but two have moved to the other side of the country and won’t talk to the family anymore. So, there are entire branches of the family tree I’ve never even met, or only met once decades ago kind of thing.

What’s left, once all those people are eliminated, were the family members who had somehow managed to keep a relationship with my parents, and the reason they could do that was because they were part of the dysfunction themselves. They were the enablers of abuse, the ones who would put a child in harm’s way if it kept the heat off of them, or they were abusers in their own right. After all, my dysfunctional parents weren’t formed in a vacuum — they were products of their own dysfunctional homes.

By the time I reached adulthood, I had no meaningful family relationships and the extraordinarily small percentage of my relatives that I was in contact with weren’t healthy relationships. When I got married, I had one fewer family member in attendance than Meghan did. What that says about me? I was strong enough to break the cycle.

I’ll give Meghan the benefit of the doubt and assume that her lack of family attendees says more about her family origins than it does her.

Well said. As I said, if (general) you don't come from a dysfunctional family then you do not know the many, many, many different LAYERS of dysfunction, how they appear and in what ways. You gave some great examples.


Not saying anyone here has done this, but I've seen instances online where people were veiledly & openly making racist comments about Meghan being wrong for the Royal family. I also want to point out, that it's Meghan's WHITE side of the family that is causing all the drama & dysfunction and seem like they will continue to do so. Her one family member guest, her black mom, has, as far as I know, has been behaving impeccably.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't think the half-sister is driving the bus in regards to the father. I think The Sun is driving the bus. And he is driving his own bus. People keep talking like he's some doddering idiot, incapable of making up his own mind. Where are you guys getting info that he's a doddering idiot? I only watch TMZ & TMZ Live and they talk to him all the time by phone. Harvey Levin, himself talked to Thomas a few times, especially during the whole "heart operation" situation. One of the reporters, (the blond guy on TMZ Live,) is dedicated to Royal events, has a direct line to him (and the Palace.) They never present him as doddering or intellectually incapacitated in any way.

I think the half-sis is driving her own bus as a money wagon for herself. She is capitalizing on what the father is doing. Meghan probably hasn't talked to her father in years. Maybe an occasional Christmas & birthday card. He had a birthday this past week and suddenly the half-sis is in an uproar that their dad didn't get a "Happy birthday" and it might cause their dad another heart attack? This is just a typical dysfunctional family, unfortunately played out in the media.

I started to say it in an earlier post, but that's been my impression of him from what I've seen and read. (Though admittedly my eyes start to cross and I rarely can finish an article about him or his other kids as I practically get squeamish, the situation is makes me so uncomfortable!) I don't think he was always that way, from what I know of his history, but that's sort of how I view him now. (Not quite as bad as your desccription, lol, but more like someone being led around and told what to do.) And yes, I grew up in a dysfunctional family, too, although I've been fortunate enough to create a pretty normal (if there is such a thing!) one of my own. It's probably why I identify a bit with Meghan.

 

[Imzadi]

I started to say it in an earlier post, but that's been my impression of him from what I've seen and read. (Though admittedly my eyes start to cross and I rarely can finish an article about him or his other kids as I practically get squeamish, the situation is makes me so uncomfortable!) I don't think he was always that way, from what I know of his history, but that's sort of how I view him now. (Not quite as bad as your desccription, lol, but more like someone being led around and told what to do.)

Oh, I was wondering if you've seen a particular interview where he was like that. A couple other posters mentioned something along the same lines too. Like the PP who said she didn't think he understood the Royal protocol.

IF he is doddering, then it's doubly evil that The Sun is exploiting him. I still think the half-sister is capitalizing on what the father is doing, either way, so she can get her two cents in and make money off of interviews too.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh, I was wondering if you've seen a particular interview where he was like that. A couple other posters mentioned something along the same lines too. Like the PP who said she didn't think he understood the Royal protocol.

IF he doddering, then it's doubly evil that The Sun is exploiting. I still think the half-sister is capitalizing on what the father is doing, so she can get her two cents in and make money off of interviews too.

I can get behind that.

 

[Dancind]

When Kate got pregnant with Louis, Harry became 6th in line to the throne. That meant he no longer needed the Queen's permission to marry, and that's when he proposed. Meghan is obviously lovely, but American, divorced, and with a dodgy family. So who knows what the Queen would have said?

All moot, anyway. I'm sure she told Harry about her family, not much she can do about it. I hope it isn't marring their happiness.

 

[Imzadi]

When Kate got pregnant with Louis, Harry became 6th in line to the throne. That meant he no longer needed the Queen's permission to marry, and that's when he proposed.

So, it will be Will & Kate's fault if it turns out Harry married badly and Meghan, as well as her family, are a huge embarrassment to the Royal family.

 

[ronandannette]

...Contrast Meghan's nutty family Kate Middleton's, who has NEVER publicly talked to the press about Kate, Will, or anything having to do with the Royals. Yes, Kate's parents are mega-millionaires themselves. But the family seems to have one thing (besides money,) that Meghan's doesn't have: CLASS.

Not to be facisious but maybe that’s partly because America has no class-system like Britain has had since the dark ages. Nor does any American have (or truly understand) the ingrained sense of submission to the Monarchy. The Middletons know their place and the degree of decorum that’s required. It’s not about being polite, it’s about being “proper”.

 

[Southernmiss]

Not to be facisious but maybe that’s partly because America has no class-system like Britain has had since the dark ages. Nor does any American have (or truly understand) the ingrained sense of submission to the Monarchy. The Middletons know their place and the degree of decorum that’s required. It’s not about being polite, it’s about being “proper”.

What??? No, most Americans get who the Royal family are and understand protocols and can be polite, civil and would graciously navigate those protocols.