People: Is Markle’s dad learning discretion?
When it comes to the nasty Markle family feud, it may turn out that a baby changes everything.
Following news Monday that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are expecting their first child, Meghan’s estranged older half-sister, Samantha Markle, suddenly started to say nice things about the new duchess in the media. “I want Meghan to be happy and calm and have peace,” Samantha Markle told The Sun.
Samantha Markle’s comments came as Meghan and Harry have been garnering rave reviews for their royal tour of Australia, where they are being photographed smiling, happy and enjoying friendly interactions with dignitaries, regular people and a koala. Such kind comments from Samantha Markle also mark a total reversal from her previously bitter stance toward her half-sister and her view that the U.S.-born former TV actress is a social climber who has cruelly turned her back on her father and her American half-siblings.
“Everybody needs to be positive,” Samantha Markle said.
Meanwhile, Meghan’s 74-year-old father, Thomas Markle, may have passed a small but important test in getting back into the good graces of his daughter. The Sun reported that Thomas Markle learned about the baby news before it was made public — and he didn’t spill the news to TMZ or the U.K. tabloids. The Sun added that other families members learned about the baby about a week before the public announcement or at Princess Eugenie’s wedding on Oct. 12.
Like his daughter Samantha, Thomas Markle has been on a media tear the past few months, spilling all kinds of dirt about Meghan and Harry, criticizing the royal family and claiming he’s been wrongly shut out just because he made a few mistakes — like receiving payment to stage photos with a paparazzo before the couple’s May 19 wedding.
But news that he’s going to be a grandfather may have softened Thomas Markle. Given that Meghan had stopped taking his phone calls, he probably knew that he was facing the prospect of never meeting his grandchild.