They say that blood is thicker than water, and for those unfamiliar with the phrase, it basically means that families stick together no matter what. Over the course of time, we’ve come to realize that those words are “relative” to the kind of family situation you happen to be in. The truth is, some families are not as close as they should be, which can sometimes lead to drama. In the world of celebrities, that drama can turn nasty at the drop of a hat. Such is the case for the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, and her half-brother, Thomas.
Who is Meghan Markle?
By now, the whole world knows who Meghan Markle is. She was born on Aug. 4, 1981 in Los Angeles, California and went on to become an actress. Her father, Thomas Markle Sr., used to work as the director of photography and lighting on the hit ’90s show Married With Children, and after attending Northwestern University, Markle pursued her career in acting and first appeared on the daytime soap opera General Hospital. For the most part, her career centered around television, where she appeared in numerous shows including Central City, The War At Home, and Fringe. In 2011, she landed the role of paralegal Rachel Zane on the USA Network’s legal drama series Suits. She played the character for seven seasons until the show’s finale in 2017.
During the early part of her career, Markle began dating American film producer Trevor Engelson. The couple got married in 2011 but divorced 2 years later in 2013. Markle then began dating Canadian celebrity chef and restaurateur Corey Vitello in 2014, but once again, the relationship ended after two years in 2016.
Later that same year, Markle shocked the world when it was revealed that she was dating Prince Harry of Wales, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. After a year of dating, the two later got married on Nov. 27, 2017. This was a big deal for a number of reasons. For one, it was the first time that an American was romantically linked to the Royal Family. For two, it was the first time that a person of color was an official member of the Royal Family.
Although Markle was somewhat known in the US for her role on Suits, it was her relationship and eventual marriage to Prince Harry that put her under the media microscope. Since the start of their relationship, Markle has been the target of constant scrutiny on the other side of the pond for being vocal about certain political views while being a member of a prestigious family that normally tends to stay neutral when it comes to government affairs.
It has been reported on more than one occasion (albeit through the tabloids) that Queen Elizabeth herself is not fond of Markle, especially now that her grandson has cut ties with the Royal Family thanks to all the scrutiny. The couple has even moved to Los Angeles to get away from the toxic press coverage focused on Markle.
However, running away to the States hasn’t necessarily stopped the family drama that seems to have fallen squarely on Markle’s shoulders. In fact, moving back to LA may have just reopened some old wounds. Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., is apparently not very happy with his daughter. But that’s only if you believe Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr.
Who is Thomas Markle Jr.?
Born Sept. 17, 1966 in Los Angeles, California, Thomas Markle Jr. is the older paternal half-brother of Meghan. He’s currently a window fitter in Oregon and was recently featured in the Australian reality TV series Big Brother VIP. Ever since Meghan’s marriage to Prince Harry, he and his sister Samantha Markle have been very vocal about Meghan’s true character. It has come to light on several occasions that Meghan is estranged from her father’s side of the family and has not spoken to them in almost a decade.
Thomas and Samantha have insisted that Meghan has ignored that side of the family in several ways. In fact, Samantha once insisted that Meghan could have helped her father financially when he went bankrupt in 2016 but chose not to. Thomas even wrote a letter to Prince Harry persuading him to reconsider his plans to marry Meghan, stating “Dear Prince Harry, It’s not to[o] late. Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you. As more time passes to your royal wedding it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.”
Many believed that Thomas was simply trying to get his fifteen minutes of fame, but according to him, it goes much deeper than that. On a recent episode of Big Brother VIP, Markle Jr. went a little deeper into his childhood with his royal half-sister during an interview with NovaFM’s Fitzy and Wippa.
“I was 15 when she was born, so I fed her, babysat, just the normal family stuff, but I grew up in a divided home. My parents split up when I was really young as well,” Thomas said.
The 55-year-old window fitter then revealed what his father thought of Meghan’s marriage to Prince Harry.
“My dad doesn’t approve of him.” Thomas said. “My father says that he couldn’t even protect those chickens in their backyard if he needed to. He wants Harry to do things proper like call him up on the phone, go see him in person and say I want to take your daughter’s hand in marriage. He cherishes Meghan, he worships her, and I feel sorry for him in the fact that she won’t even pick up the phone and call my father and he’s just in the dark as much as everybody else is.”
Thomas didn’t stop there. He went on to explain why he sent the famous letter to the Royal Palace.
“The reason I wrote that letter is because my private life went from private to in the paper,” he said. “There were quite a few lies that were told about us, so I got a hold of the palace and I said could you please do something about the paparazzi. The response I got back was ‘distant family and I don’t know those people’; that came from Meghan. So that kind of pissed me off and she knows damn well we had a great time growing up together, so I wrote that letter.”
Whether it’s dealing with the media, the Royal Family, or her own, it seems that Meghan Markle can’t seem to catch a break. Many have expressed their sadness for her ever since her marriage to Harry, which has been constantly marred by scrutiny. Even sadder is the fact that any hope of reconciliation between Markle and her estranged family may have been effectively smothered by her half-brother’s recent interview.
However, despite their strained relationship and his crass words about his sister, Thomas Markle claims that he still hopes to reconnect with his sister. “Coming on Big Brother this is a part of that step, I want to reach out and actually show a different side of me, maybe spark a little interest and maybe she will call,” he said.
After what was said in the very public interview, odds are not high that Meghan Markle will actually call her brother anytime soon. But for their family’s sake, our fingers are crossed that they’ll manage to reconnect and forgive each other so they all have a little less stress to deal with.