MEGHAN DUMPS HER DAD FOR GOOD!
Royal news With her father refusing to be silenced, the stressed-out duchess is struggling to cope and has been forced to take action
Meghan Markle looked deliriously happy and beautiful on her wedding day as she exchanged vows with Prince Harry in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on May 19, signalling the start of her fairytale life as the Duchess of Sussex.
But two months on from her big day, palace insiders say the 36-year-old is secretly struggling to cope with the pressures of royal life as well as her increasingly fractured relationship with her family.
Now, shock claims have emerged that her father Thomas Markle, 74, “made up” his emergency heart surgery as a reason not to attend her wedding and avoid further embarrassment after he was accused of staging photos to sell to the paparazzi. And Woman’s Day can reveal heartbroken Meghan has been forced to make the painful decision to sever ties with her dad for good.
SELLING HER STORY
“Meghan has had to deal with various members of her family coming out of the woodwork and selling stories about her to make a quick buck,” says an insider.
“She was hoping that would die down after the wedding, so it’s got to be heartbreaking to see her father still giving
interviews about her. She’s having a hard enough time dealing with the pressures of being part of the royal family and everything that comes with it. This is the last thing she needs.”
TALKING TO THE MEDIA
While the duchess is still very close to her mother Doria Ragland, who was the only member of her family in attendance at her big day, her father, half-sister, half-brother and other relatives have all given interviews about her. And it doesn’t look like her dad has any plans to stop speaking out about his famous daughter.
“I was silent for a full year and the press beat me up every day saying I was a hermit hiding in Mexico, so I gave my story,” he told TMZ. “Apparently that interview put the royal family in their silence mode... so I gave another interview to break the silence. All they have to do is speak to me.”
Thomas added he’s not giving up, no matter how much the royal family wants him to – because he wants to be in touch with Meghan again. He’s even threatening to fly to the UK to see her.
However, it’s believed the duchess is desperately hoping he’ll back down.
“It’s a really embarrassing situation for Meghan and every time Thomas does another interview, it’s just one more thing for her to worry about. Meghan is fed up and doesn’t want her dad to come to the UK and the palace. She just wants to focus on her new life and wishes her family would stop talking about her at every possible opportunity,” says the insider.
MEGHAN’S NEW LIFE
“Becoming part of the royal family has been a huge adjustment for Meghan and she’s being scrutinised more than ever before. Every outfit, wave and curtsey is criticised and there are a lot of rules for her to follow.
“It’s been tough for her to get used to this new life and as much as Meghan is an independent woman, she’s also desperate to fit into the family.”
But according to Thomas, Meghan’s desire to please the palace is taking a grave toll on her. He says he hasn’t spoken to her since the wedding. While she was once bubbly and vivacious, he believes she is now living in fear. “My thing about my daughter right now is that I think she is terrified,” he told The Sun. “I see it in her eyes, I see it in her face and I see it in her smile.
“I’ve seen her smile for years. I know her smile. I don’t like the one I’m seeing now. This one isn’t even a stage smile – this is a pained smile.”
ROYAL STRAIN
Thomas added that he blames the palace for placing Meghan under a great deal of strain. “That might be just having a couple of bad days. I don’t know. It really worries me. I think she’s under too much pressure,” he says. “There’s a high price to pay to be married to that family.”
In the seven months since Harry, 33, and Meghan got engaged, the Duchess of Sussex
has been frequently compared to her late mother-in-law Princess Diana. But while the suggestion that Meghan could be the next beloved “people’s princess” was once a compliment, it’s now becoming a concern.
After her marriage to Prince Charles ended, Diana admitted to suffering from mental health problems including depression, bulimia and self-harm. She was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997, two weeks before Harry’s 13th birthday. Diana was just 36 years old – the same age Meghan is now.
“Diana was adored by the public, but it’s no secret she found it hard to deal with all the pressure that was on her,” the insider reveals. “There’s a worry Meghan is feeling the burden, too. People have noticed she’s started mirroring Diana’s body language.”
DIANA’S MEMORY
Harry has made sure his mother plays a part in his relationship with Meghan and included two of her diamonds when designing the engagement ring “to make sure she’s with us on this on this crazy journey together”.
Harry added, “They’d be thick as thieves, without question, I think [mum would] be over the moon, jumping up and down, so excited for me.”
‘Harry would do anything to make Meghan happy’
But while Harry believes his wife and his mother would have been the best of friends, he doesn’t want Meghan to follow in Diana’s footsteps. “Harry is extremely protective of Meghan. He knows she’s not used to his world and didn’t grow up in the spotlight the way he did. He would do anything to make her feel happy and comfortable,” the insider explains.
EMBRACING ROYAL LIFE
“Harry was really young when he lost his mum, but he knows all about what she went through. The last thing he would ever want is for Meghan to be experiencing even a tiny bit of that same heartache.
“He knows how much Meghan’s life has changed because of him and he just wants to support her and help her through this. She may feel like she can’t count on most of her family these days, but she’ll always have Harry.”
The prince has said the royals will continue to do everything they can to make Meghan feel welcome. “I think we’ve got one of the biggest families I know of, and every family is complex,” he said in December, when the pair announced their engagement. “She’s getting in there and it’s the family I suppose she’s never had.”