The Markle family is continuing to speak out about their strained relationship with Duchess Meghan (née Markle). The newly-minted royal’s estranged half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., weighed in on the situation and accused Prince Harry of contributing to the ongoing feud.
“Since Hollywood and being on that show [Suits] — being a celebrity has changed her. Maybe she feels like she is above everybody, maybe even more now,” Thomas Jr., 52, told Daily Mail on Tuesday, August 21. “But if she wasn’t with Prince Harry right now — even if she was still on Suits right now — she would have stopped what she was doing to go and visit [her father] and make sure he’s OK.”
The former actress’s father, Thomas Markle, did not attend her May nuptials to Harry, 33, after suffering a heart attack. Since then, he hasn’t shied away from criticizing Megan’s newfound role in the British royal family.
“I think it got ignored and swept under the carpet for so long. It’s a shame where it’s ended up, especially between her and my father,” Thomas Jr. continued. “She’s capable of doing anything, she’s just got to want to do it. If she was to make amends, by all means, she can do that. But she’s got to want to do it.”
Thomas Jr. also shared his belief that Kensington Palace put a strain on Meghan’s relationship with her father as well. “They’ve dealt with this kind of stuff for a long time and why they did it this way, that’s the big question. Why? They could have looked after my dad and he would have been happy,” he claimed. “I don’t think he deserves that kind of treatment from her. I think she owes him emotionally, as his daughter, to support him the way he supported her. To see all this go on in the media, from their relationship being so close and so tight-knit all her life to come to this, like, she doesn’t want to deal with him. For what reasons, I don’t know.”
The window fitter’s remarks come days after Thomas Sr. compared the royal family to a “cult,” telling the U.K.’s The Sun newspaper on Friday, August 17, that the royals “are secretive.”
One month prior, the former lighting director, 74, told the publication that he fears his daughter has “a pained smile” during public outings and “she is terrified” and “under too much pressure.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Kensington Palace for comment.
