Latest news with #ThomasMarkle
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
How Thomas Markle caused 'chaos' for everyone during the run up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding as the Duchess of Sussex's father celebrates his 81st birthday
During the run up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 's wedding in May 2018 there were two guests who sparked an intense interest from both the public and the press - the bride's mother and father. But while Doria Ragland kept her head down before the big day, Thomas Markle - who is 81 today - appeared to be actively seeking out the limelight to capitalise on his daughter's marriage into the most famous family in the world. In fact, Thomas' actions caused his son-in-law Prince Harry to declare that the father of the bride caused 'chaos' in the days before the wedding. Writing in his tell-all biography Spare, Harry lifted the curtain on the drama revolving around Thomas that engulfed the Royal Family just days before the ceremony. The prince said that Meghan had spent months trying to 'soothe' her father who had been left upset by his media coverage. 'His pride was constantly wounded,' Harry wrote. 'Every day there was another humiliating photo in the paper.' Considering Thomas' previous unease with his coverage in the papers, Harry and Meghan were surprised when they got word that he had in fact staged a candid photoshoot working with the paparazzi. Asked point blank if the story was true Thomas said no. Harry said: 'He swore he'd never staged any photos, that he hadn't taken part in any such charade, that he didn't know the pap in question. 'Meg whispered to me: "I believe him".' But then the next morning the story broke and it was proved that Thomas had indeed lied. 'A week before the wedding, this now became the story... Soon after the story broke, Thomas Markle sent us a text: "I'm so ashamed",' Harry wrote. The story then took another dramatic turn when Thomas then had a heart attack which finally ended any prospect of him attending the wedding. Despite his absence, Thomas still continued to cause 'chaos' for the bride and groom. According to Harry, Meghan was somewhat distracted by her father when drama erupted over Princess Charlotte's bridesmaid dress. The Duke of Sussex claimed that Meghan had missed Kate Middleton's text about issues with Charlotte's dress because she was 'dealing with the chaos surrounding her father'. It has been widely reported that the tense stand-off between Kate and Meghan took place after Charlotte's fitting for her bridesmaid dress. According to royal insider Tom Bower, Kate allegedly believed that the bridesmaids should wear tights as per royal protocol. However, at Meghan's 'insistence' the tradition was dropped. Their biggest disagreement was over the length of Charlotte's hem, which Kate believed was too short for the three-year-old princess. Meghan's assistant Melissa Toubati and dress-fitter Clare Waight Keller claimed to have 'witnessed Meghan emphatically reject Kate's observation,' Bower said. The altercation caused Kate to burst into tears according to presenter and friend of Queen Camilla, Kirstie Allsopp. Reports differ about what happened next. Bower wrote that Kate went over to Meghan's quarters in Kensington Palace with a bunch of flowers and asked her not to speak rudely to her staff. 'In Kate's version, Meghan slammed the door in her face and threw the flowers in a dustbin,' Bower wrote. After the wedding it was the now-Princess of Wales' report of the altercation that made headlines about Meghan's 'diva' behaviour. Meghan would recall her version of events during her bombshell interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey in 2021. There, she claimed that the tears were in fact hers, and the flowers an apology. 'A few days before the wedding, she was upset about something pertaining - yes, the issue was correct - about flower-girl dresses, and it made me cry, and it really hurt my feelings,' Meghan said during the interview. 'What was hard to get over was being blamed for something that not only I didn't do but that happened to me.' 'And the people who were part of our wedding going to our comms team and saying, "I know this didn't happen." I don't have to tell them what actually happened,' she added. Since the wedding, Meghan and Harry have not communicated with Thomas, and he has never had the opportunity to meet his son-in-law - or grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four. 'I've had a good life and I am proud of what I've accomplished, but everything has been overshadowed by what has happened in the last six years,' he told Mail Online last year. 'I've never been one for birthdays, but I know the one person I most want to hear from, Meghan, won't be in touch.' Thomas has put further strain on their relationship by repeatedly giving interviews to the press since Meghan married into the Royal Family. In July 2018, during an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Thomas claimed his daughter would be 'nothing without me. I made her the Duchess she is today'. He has also appeared on talk shows such as Good Morning Britain, where he has spoken at length about his relationship with Harry and Meghan. The Duchess's father had been living in Mexico before he upped and moved across the world to the Philippines earlier this year. Thomas along with his son - Thomas Jr - are now living on the tropical island of Cebu. Speaking about his move to South East Asia, Thomas told the Daily Mail: 'I am ready for a change. 'I have felt stuck in a rut for some time and I am ready to meet new people and experience kindness.' He said: 'At 80 it is time to go somewhere where the people are lovely and I can enjoy a quieter, friendlier existence. 'In South East Asia the medical care is good, you can live reasonably cheaply, the people are kind and respect older people and the food is healthy. 'Mostly I just want peace. At 80, none of us know how long we have left. 'I want whatever time I have to be peaceful with none of the awful drama of recent years.' Since the move, the Markles have not found Cebu to be the tranquil paradise they were expecting, with the men reportedly struggling to adapt to the extremely hot and humid weather on the island. The Daily Express reported that concerns had been raised about how the climate could affect Thomas's poor health, with claims that the father had been seen walking with a cane recently. Their new life in a high-rise flat in the Philippines's fifth largest city is world's away from the luxury lifestyle his daughter and family enjoy in Montecito, California. But with the rift between father and daughter still as wide as ever, it seems unlikely Thomas will be making the 7,000-mile journey to reunite with Meghan any time soon.
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The downside of Duchess of Sussex's success was her 'intense jealousy', royal author claims - as Meghan's estranged father celebrates his birthday this week
Like a lot of young girls growing up in Los Angeles, Meghan Markle yearned for a career in Hollywood. Luckily for the future Duchess her 'famous' father - Thomas Markle - worked in the industry as a lighting director and gave her a leg up other aspiring actresses could only dream of. And yet, Meghan's career in tinseltown was not the dazzling success her fellow LA natives enjoyed - such as Angelina Jolie or Leonardo DiCaprio. In his bombshell royal fly-on-the-wall book, Revenge, Tom Bower wrote that her 'intense jealousy, especially if someone else got the lead part' left a negative legacy on her career. He said: 'One downside of Meghan's success was her intense jealousy, especially if someone else got the lead part. 'Meghan became particularly irritated after one girl at [her school] was employed by a Hollywood studio as an actress.' It was a character trait that her father noticed while she was still in school. Telling Mr Bower that his daughter 'wants to be the star of the stage' and 'the star in life'. The doting father obeyed all of Meghan's wishes in her pursuit of becoming an actress. This included paying a professional photographer to take a headshot of Meghan which Thomas then 'dutifully' circulated to producers though they received no reply. At 17, Meghan got a taste of the red carpet when she joined her father at the Emmy awards where he was nominated for best lighting director. 'Like so many in the town, Meghan loved glamour and celebrity. She wanted her dream to become reality,' Mr Bower wrote. But Thomas and Meghan eventually found themselves at loggerheads when he finally refused to bow to his daughter's every whim. Mr Bower said: 'In spring 1999, the musical The Pyjama Game was the new school play. Meghan wanted the lead part but also wanted to go for a week to the school's summer retreat. 'Gigi Perreau, the drama teacher, insisted that Meghan had to choose one or the other. Meghan went to the retreat. 'Outraged that the teacher denied her a part in the play, she urged her father not to do the lighting. He ignored her demand.' According to Thomas, his daughter was 'furious' and 'screamed he should obey her wishes'. Not long after, Meghan moved in with her mother Doria Ragland. It has now been seven years since the father and daughter last spoke to one another, with their relationship becoming particularly strained when Thomas posed for paparazzi photos before Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Thomas also suffered suffered two heart attacks just before the ceremony, preventing him from walking his daughter down the aisle. Since then, Meghan and Harry have not communicated with Thomas, and he has never had the opportunity to meet his son-in-law - or grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four. 'I've had a good life and I am proud of what I've accomplished, but everything has been overshadowed by what has happened in the last six years,' he told Mail Online last year. 'I've never been one for birthdays, but I know the one person I most want to hear from, Meghan, won't be in touch.' Thomas has put further strain on their relationship by repeatedly giving interviews to the press since Meghan married into the Royal Family. Thomas speaking to Good Morning Britain in 2023. He has put further strain on his relationship with Meghan by repeatedly giving interviews to the press In July 2018, during an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Thomas claimed his daughter would be 'nothing without me. I made her the Duchess she is today'. He has also appeared on talk shows such as Good Morning Britain, where he has spoken at length about his relationship with Harry and Meghan. The Duchess's father had been living in Mexico before he upped and moved across the world to the Philippines earlier this year. Thomas along with his son - Thomas Jr - are now living on the tropical island of Cebu. Speaking about his move to South East Asia, Thomas told the Daily Mail: 'I am ready for a change. 'I have felt stuck in a rut for some time and I am ready to meet new people and experience kindness.' He said: 'At 80 it is time to go somewhere where the people are lovely and I can enjoy a quieter, friendlier existence. 'In South East Asia the medical care is good, you can live reasonably cheaply, the people are kind and respect older people and the food is healthy. 'Mostly I just want peace. At 80, none of us know how long we have left. 'I want whatever time I have to be peaceful with none of the awful drama of recent years.' Since the move, the Markles have not found Cebu to be the tranquil paradise they were expecting, with the men reportedly struggling to adapt to the extremely hot and humid weather on the island. The Daily Express reported that concerns had been raised about how the climate could affect Thomas's poor health, with claims that the father had been seen walking with a cane recently. Their new life in a high-rise flat in the Philippines's fifth largest city is world's away from the luxury lifestyle his daughter and family enjoy in Montecito, California. But with the rift between father and daughter still as wide as ever, it seems unlikely Thomas will be making the 7,000-mile journey to reunite with Meghan any time soon.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle's Hollywood Career Reportedly Suffered From Her 'Intense Jealousy'
's favorite hue might be green, as in with envy! The mother-of-two allegedly exhibited strong traits of jealousy towards her peers as an aspiring actress under the wings of her father, Thomas Markle. Meghan Markle and her father have maintained a strained relationship for nearly 8 years, largely due to his comments on her marriage to Prince Harry in various interviews before and after the 2018 ceremony. The 80-year-old, who built a career as a lighting director in Hollywood, predicted the best future for her now estranged daughter, although things did not pan out as planned. According to Tom Bower in his new book Revenge, the entrepreneur and her dad set out on the road to stardom, but her jealousy heavily plagued that journey. Meghan reportedly took professional headshots of herself and helped send them to various producers, but to no avail. Still, the 80-year-old was confident his daughter wanted to become a star, on stage and in life. "One downside of Meghan's success was her intense jealousy, especially if someone else got the lead part," the author wrote, adding that the actress was upset about a girl at her school getting a job with a Hollywood studio as an actress, per The Daily Mail. The star reportedly became further engrossed in celebrity life when she first saw what the red carpet felt like at the age of 17. She reportedly accompanied her father, who was in the running to win the award for best lighting director at the Emmy Awards. However, Thomas and Meghan began to experience tension after he boldly expressed that he would not give way to every pressure from his daughter. Bower noted in the book that in the spring of 1999, the new school play, a musical titled "The Pyjama Game," needed a leading role, which Meghna saw herself as fit for. Unfortunately, the actress had to choose between getting the role and attending the school's summer retreat. She eventually decided to go for the one-week retreat after her drama teacher, Gigi Perreau, insisted she pick one. Indignant that the teacher refused her the role in a play, she reportedly requested her father to decline doing the lighting. To her displeasure, her father disregarded her demands, and a furious Meghan screamed that he needed to do whatever she wanted. The fight was what led to the young Meghan's departure from her father's house into her mother, Doria Ragland's home. That was also the beginning of the distance between them. In a shocking twist, Doria reportedly left her daughter's expansive Montecito home for the comfort of her home after a rough 18 months. As shared by The Blast, the yoga teacher allegedly got fed up with her daughter's constant moaning and unbearable attitude, so she found the nearest exit. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly tried to stop the exit with repeated pleas, but it was already too late. Doria left the home with her bag in hand. Doria's stay with the couple was to help alleviate the stress that comes with looking after two kids, especially in the midst of the professional and personal challenges they experienced at the time. Prince Harry's mother-in-law moved in early last year, and her presence shifted things tremendously, among Harry and Meghan as a couple, and also built a bond between the kids and their grandmother. Doria is reportedly content with coming to the house once in a while to check on the family as she used to, but her days as a live-in grandma are far behind her. The father and daughter's feud became public knowledge months and weeks before her wedding to the Invictus Games founder. As noted by The Blast, Thomas suffered two heart attacks before the ceremony, causing his absence from the aisle. Since then, the duo has not had a conversation, nor has the director officially met his son-in-law. Even worse is that Thomas has no relationship with his two grandchildren, who are now 6 and 4 years old, respectively. Two years ago, he reportedly reached out to the Duchess of Sussex via an interview to look for ways to mend the cracked walls between them. He also threatened to pursue meeting his grandkids the legal route if his pleas fell on deaf ears, in his words: "In California, I can actually sue to see them, but I don't want to do that. I've done nothing wrong. There's nothing that points to say I'm a bad guy." Well, the 80-year-old made a big decision by moving to the Philippines for a fresh start and a new sense of life now that he is old. Thomas used to live in a cliffside property near the United States border in Rosario, Mexico, before his move. "I am ready for a change. I have felt stuck in a rut for some time, and I am ready to meet new people and experience kindness," Thomas declared. However, things may not be panning out the way he envisioned his new life, as sources shared that he had been struggling to get used to the environment and weather over there. The weather conditions on the Island of Cebu, where he currently resides alongside his son, often reach a humidity level of 90% and a temperature of up to 100 degrees. According to a source: "There are only two types of weather in Cebu: hot and humid, and hot and humid and raining. It's brutal even for men half his age, but it's still sad to see him looking as though he's struggling." The 80-year-old was even spotted navigating the local terrain of Cebu with the help of a cane. Despite these challenges, the presence of his son to serve as a familiar face is reportedly a calming sight for the lighting director. Will Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle ever find a common ground?
Daily Mail
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The downside of Duchess of Sussex's success was her 'intense jealousy', royal author claims - as Meghan's estranged father celebrates his birthday
Like a lot of young girls growing up in Los Angeles, Meghan Markle yearned for a career in Hollywood. Luckily for the future Duchess her 'famous' father - Thomas Markle - worked in the industry as a lighting director and gave her a leg up other aspiring actresses could only dream of. And yet, Meghan's career in tinseltown was not the dazzling success her fellow LA natives enjoyed - such as Angelina Jolie or Leonardo DiCaprio. In his bombshell royal fly-on-the-wall book, Revenge, Tom Bower wrote that her 'intense jealousy, especially if someone else got the lead part' left a negative legacy on her career. He said: 'One downside of Meghan's success was her intense jealousy, especially if someone else got the lead part. 'Meghan became particularly irritated after one girl at [her school] was employed by a Hollywood studio as an actress.' It was a character trait that her father noticed while she was still in school. Telling Mr Bower that his daughter 'wants to be the star of the stage' and 'the star in life'. The doting father obeyed all of Meghan's wishes in her pursuit of becoming an actress. This included paying a professional photographer to take a headshot of Meghan which Thomas then 'dutifully' circulated to producers though they received no reply. At 17, Meghan got a taste of the red carpet when she joined her father at the Emmy awards where he was nominated for best lighting director. 'Like so many in the town, Meghan loved glamour and celebrity. She wanted her dream to become reality,' Mr Bower wrote. But Thomas and Meghan eventually found themselves at loggerheads when he finally refused to bow to his daughter's every whim. Mr Bower said: 'In spring 1999, the musical The Pyjama Game was the new school play. Meghan wanted the lead part but also wanted to go for a week to the school's summer retreat. 'Gigi Perreau, the drama teacher, insisted that Meghan had to choose one or the other. Meghan went to the retreat. 'Outraged that the teacher denied her a part in the play, she urged her father not to do the lighting. He ignored her demand.' According to Thomas, his daughter was 'furious' and 'screamed he should obey her wishes'. Not long after, Meghan moved in with her mother Doria Ragland. It has now been seven years since the father and daughter last spoke to one another, with their relationship becoming particularly strained when Thomas posed for paparazzi photos before Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. Thomas also suffered suffered two heart attacks just before the ceremony, preventing him from walking his daughter down the aisle. Since then, Meghan and Harry have not communicated with Thomas, and he has never had the opportunity to meet his son-in-law - or grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four. 'I've had a good life and I am proud of what I've accomplished, but everything has been overshadowed by what has happened in the last six years,' he told Mail Online last year. 'I've never been one for birthdays, but I know the one person I most want to hear from, Meghan, won't be in touch.' Thomas has put further strain on their relationship by repeatedly giving interviews to the press since Meghan married into the Royal Family. Thomas speaking to Good Morning Britain in 2023. He has put further strain on his relationship with Meghan by repeatedly giving interviews to the press In July 2018, during an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Thomas claimed his daughter would be 'nothing without me. I made her the Duchess she is today'. He has also appeared on talk shows such as Good Morning Britain, where he has spoken at length about his relationship with Harry and Meghan. The Duchess's father had been living in Mexico before he upped and moved across the world to the Philippines earlier this year. Thomas along with his son - Thomas Jr - are now living on the tropical island of Cebu. Speaking about his move to South East Asia, Thomas told the Daily Mail: 'I am ready for a change. 'I have felt stuck in a rut for some time and I am ready to meet new people and experience kindness.' He said: 'At 80 it is time to go somewhere where the people are lovely and I can enjoy a quieter, friendlier existence. 'In South East Asia the medical care is good, you can live reasonably cheaply, the people are kind and respect older people and the food is healthy. 'Mostly I just want peace. At 80, none of us know how long we have left. 'I want whatever time I have to be peaceful with none of the awful drama of recent years.' Since the move, the Markles have not found Cebu to be the tranquil paradise they were expecting, with the men reportedly struggling to adapt to the extremely hot and humid weather on the island. The Daily Express reported that concerns had been raised about how the climate could affect Thomas's poor health, with claims that the father had been seen walking with a cane recently. Their new life in a high-rise flat in the Philippines's fifth largest city is world's away from the luxury lifestyle his daughter and family enjoy in Montecito, California. But with the rift between father and daughter still as wide as ever, it seems unlikely Thomas will be making the 7,000-mile journey to reunite with Meghan any time soon.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Queen Elizabeth II's Cousin Believed Meghan Markle's Father Thomas Was ‘Frightened' to Attend Royal Wedding
Queen Elizabeth II's cousin reportedly believed that Meghan Markle's father, Thomas Markle, had reservations about attending her wedding to Prince Harry. Before her 2020 death, the late Lady Elizabeth Anson — Queen Elizabeth's first cousin once removed — shared her perspective in conversations with royal author Sally Bedell Smith. In a story that was published by The Times on Tuesday, July 1, Smith revealed Anson once told her 'that Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, was 'frightened of coming to the wedding,'' referring to the royal nuptials between Meghan, 43, and Harry, 40 — although no explanation why was given. Ahead of the wedding, Anson reportedly asked Queen Elizabeth if it seemed 'rather odd for Meghan to be arriving with her mother' Doria Ragland. Anson also explained that since Thomas was unable to 'do steps,' he planned to enter through a side door and meet his daughter at the chapel's main entrance. In May 2018, Thomas, now 80, was caught posing for photos for paparazzi and it was ultimately revealed that he had struck a deal with a photo agency. Around that same time, he told TMZ he suffered a heart attack and was opting not to attend. King Charles — then Prince Charles — accompanied Meghan to the altar. As Star previously reported, Queen Elizabeth was allegedly 'dismayed' that Harry reached out to the Archbishop of Canterbury to perform the ceremony in St George's Chapel without getting permission from the Dean of Windsor first leading up to the couple's wedding. According to Bedell Smith, Anson — who had asked to be called Liza — said, '[Prince] Harry wrote to me and said they were going another way. He said, 'I am close to my grandmother, and she is content with this. When I spoke with the Queen, she said she is not at all content.' Smith continued that Liza 'added, 'Meghan could turn into nothing but trouble. She sees things in a different way.'' Harry and Meghan have continued to forge their own path, notably stepping down from their duties as senior working royals in 2020 just two years before Elizabeth died in September 2022. After relocating from the UK, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are still living in Montecito, California, while raising their two children: Prince Archie, 6, and 4-year-old Princess Lilibet.
