Meghan Markle: Family and Background - November 2017-May 2018

[PetticoatLane]

I am concerned that this entire mess will leave an enormous shadow on this event and means continued intense tabloid attention on Meghan's family is now inevitable even well beyond the wedding itself. It is the gift that gives on giving as far as they're concerned.

I must admit, all this has made me appreciate the Middletons so much more. They too have been attacked, belittled, hounded and slandered but Michael and Carole in particular have truly behaved impeccably.

 

[PtahHotep]

I don't think the Dooleys thought for one minute that Meghan wouldn't mind. They saw an opportunity, and they took it. I don't think Meghan's thoughts or what she would think is in their mind much. They are trying to move themselves up in their lives. And there might be some blood relations, but I don't think Meghan is anything other than a stranger to them.

Yes, very true. Sorry for the lost gig, though. LOL.

 

[Lady Reem]

That would easily be done by getting a restraining order. Doria has no obligation whatsoever to do anything about Tom Sr. They're divorced and have been divorced for 30 years and have no obligation to each other whatsoever outside of being joint parents to Meghan.

I can only imagine how Meghan really feels knowing this man tried to involve her mum in his shameful scam.

Hopefully she’s unaware.

 

[Lady Reem]

I am concerned that this entire mess will leave an enormous shadow on this event and means continued intense tabloid attention on Meghan's family is now inevitable even well beyond the wedding itself. It is the gift that gives on giving as far as they're concerned.

I must admit, all this has made me appreciate the Middletons so much more. They too have been attacked, belittled, hounded and slandered but Michael and Carole in particular have truly behaved impeccably.

Doria has endured sustained attacks, lies & smears tainted with the racism angle. Notwithstanding she continues to maintain her dignity and isn’t a sell out exploiting her daughter, or links with newspaper editors or proprietors etc. Because she’s dignified and has integrity. I truly admire her.

I’m sure all the media fuss will die down somewhat after the wedding and H&M will continue to ignore the “noise” if it doesn’t. Most people have already figured out that two nasty over 50’s born to Sr from a different marriage & woman to Meghan’s dear mum are nothing but bitter twisted nasty *****. The royals and the Midds have had their own family issues...

 

[Sunnystar]

I wish the press would quit referring to Tracy Dooley as Meghan's sister-in-law. She hasn't been remotely connected to Meghan in over 20 years and is actually the second ex-wife of her half brother, Tom Markle, Jr. They were supposedly divorced in 2001 when Meghan was still quite young.

2001 would have put Meghan in her late teens. I hardly call that "quite young". How long were Jr and Dooley married? The fact that Meghan hasn't remained in contact with her over the last 10-15 years is a far stronger indicator of the strength of the relationship.

 

[princess gertrude]

I must admit, all this has made me appreciate the Middletons so much more. They too have been attacked, belittled, hounded and slandered but Michael and Carole in particular have truly behaved impeccably.

I could not agree with you more. I've always thought the Middletons were not given enough credit during the time Kate and William were engaged and during the wedding for conducting themselves impeccably. So yes, this makes me appreciate them even more. Let me say that Doria has been the model of decorum during this whole relationship.

 

[Osipi]

There is one person that I think will probably be breathing a huge sigh of relief as all this drama unfolds with the estranged Markle family and that would be Sarah, Duchess of York. All this media circus right now is going to make any media circus surrounding her attending her daughter Eugenie's wedding seem like a tempest in a teapot and very, very tame.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

That would easily be done by getting a restraining order. Doria has no obligation whatsoever to do anything about Tom Sr. They're divorced and have been divorced for 30 years and have no obligation to each other whatsoever outside of being joint parents to Meghan.

Leaving your ex-wife and mother of your daughter a card and pot of flowers (just before Mother's Day) is not something that would be serious enough or threatening to grant a restraining order over.

 

[Winnie]

But they probably wouldn’t be wedding commentators if invited which is why they should have been invited would have also given Dad someone to talk too. Family is family.

I disagree. People don't get invited to weddings just because they are related. They get invited because the bride, groom or person paying for the wedding wants them there. Period. I eliminated all caustic relatives from mine and I didn't care who fussed. 15 years later I was praised for my actions as these same people have ruined most celebrations they attended. Some were my own nephews. I will always be proud of my wedding day because it was what I wanted and not what someone else who had no right to even give an opinion wanted and almost insisted me to do which included my own drunk sister.

 

[Lady Reem]

Leaving your ex-wife and mother of your daughter a card and pot of flowers (just before Mother's Day) is not something that would be serious enough or threatening to grant a restraining order over.

Violating someone’s personal space/home for the purposes of a pap/media scam does. Then again I suppose we all have different standards/morals...

I’m done.

 

[PtahHotep]

I disagree. People don't get invited to weddings just because they are related. They get invited because the bride, groom or person paying for the wedding wants them there. Period. I eliminated all caustic relatives from mine and I didn't care who fussed. 15 years later I was praised for my actions as these same people have ruined most celebrations they attended. Some were my own nephews. I will always be proud of my wedding day because it was what I wanted and not what someone else who had no right to even give an opinion wanted and almost insisted me to do which included my own drunk sister.

Drunk sisters are the best, aren't they? (Irony there).?

One of my best friends had a sister lie that, and from close personal experience, I know exactly what you need and why they do not need to be in certain occasions. LOL. Back to the main discussion, please. Couldn't resist the comment for a moment.

Hello, there, BTW!!!

 

[ladongas]

I’m wondering if perhaps Sr. has issues which prevented his being able to meet with Harry over the last year. Perhaps H&M had hoped that things would be sorted by the time the wedding neared. People over a certain age find it nearly impossible to make major changes in their lives, however.

 

[PtahHotep]

I’m wondering if perhaps Sr. has issues which prevented his being able to meet with Harry over the last year. Perhaps H&M had hoped that things would be sorted by the time the wedding neared. People over a certain age find it nearly impossible to make major changes in their lives, however.

That sort of describes Senior to a tee, IMO. Stubborn and proud.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I am concerned that this entire mess will leave an enormous shadow on this event and means continued intense tabloid attention on Meghan's family is now inevitable even well beyond the wedding itself. It is the gift that gives on giving as far as they're concerned.

I must admit, all this has made me appreciate the Middletons so much more. They too have been attacked, belittled, hounded and slandered but Michael and Carole in particular have truly behaved impeccably.

I agree, I never believed that after the wedding it would end. It will just mean they will be around for the entire marriage. The Markle's make me embarrassed to be American.

 

[loonytick]

I worry for Tom Sr., despite what a big set of mistakes he's made. And they're big, don't get me wrong! But I can't shake the fact that he behaved so well for almost a year and a half before crumbling. And when he finally did, the photos he posed for seemed sadly sweet to me, at least in comparison to Sam and Tom, Jr. Every pose looked like a profoundly clumsy attempt at saying "see, I really am going to this wedding! You say all sorts of things about Meg and I not being close, but I'm interested in her, honest!"

I suspect that whoever his contact at TMZ is has been working him for a very long time and managed to convince him he or she is a true friend. Shoot, I'm almost wondering if the TMZ reporter was allowed to camp out in the waiting room of the hospital. Sam surely has been pushing and pushing for him to validate her approach by taking it himself.

We truly don't know what/if help has been offered from KP but I have a hard time thinking they haven't tried to work with him, if only to protect their own interests. But clearly he hasn't leaned into whatever advice they had to give. Maybe they took the wrong tack with him--too much reliance on "call us if you need us," perhaps, while all the while TMZ and Sam were nonstop whispering in his ear.

Overall I can't help but see him as someone who tried to not give into the pressure of the paps and the tabloids and the awful eldest daughter but eventually just wasn't strong enough to keep saying no. He should have been. He's let Meghan down in a really profound way. I don't mean to let him off the hook! But let's put it this way: if he were my father the disappointment I'd have in him would be more of a pitying, sad kind than an angry kind.

 

[PtahHotep]

I worry for Tom Sr., despite what a big set of mistakes he's made. And they're big, don't get me wrong! But I can't shake the fact that he behaved so well for almost a year and a half before crumbling. And when he finally did, the photos he posed for seemed sadly sweet to me, at least in comparison to Sam and Tom, Jr. Every pose looked like a profoundly clumsy attempt at saying "see, I really am going to this wedding! You say all sorts of things about Meg and I not being close, but I'm interested in her, honest!"

I suspect that whoever his contact at TMZ is has been working him for a very long time and managed to convince him he or she is a true friend. Shoot, I'm almost wondering if the TMZ reporter was allowed to camp out in the waiting room of the hospital. Sam surely has been pushing and pushing for him to validate her approach by taking it himself.

We truly don't know what/if help has been offered from KP but I have a hard time thinking they haven't tried to work with him, if only to protect their own interests. But clearly he hasn't leaned into whatever advice they had to give. Maybe they took the wrong tack with him--too much reliance on "call us if you need us," perhaps, while all the while TMZ and Sam were nonstop whispering in his ear.

Overall I can't help but see him as someone who tried to not give into the pressure of the paps and the tabloids and the awful eldest daughter but eventually just wasn't strong enough to keep saying no. He should have been. He's let Meghan down in a really profound way. I don't mean to let him off the hook! But let's put it this way: if he were my father the disappointment I'd have in him would be more of a pitying, sad kind than an angry kind.

I tend to agree with you. The biggest tragedy to me here is that this was a good man who was too weak to stand up under the pressure and the lure of money.

BTW, I put this out yesterday but was not "vetted" yet but now I can.

https://pagesix.com/2018/05/15/paparazzi-agency-blamed-for-setting-up-meghan-markles-father/

Meghan Markle‘s father was told unflattering photos of him drinking and entering a fleabag hotel taken by a paparazzi agency would be quashed if he cooperated with the agency and posed for a new set of photos, sources said.
“The poor guy was set up,” a source told The Post of Thomas Markle.
Coleman-Rayner News Picture Agency had been stalking the princess-to-be’s dad at his home in Mexico for months, said the source.
After getting some unflattering photos of him buying beer and checking into a cheap hotel room in California, the source said Coleman-Rayner approached him last month and offered him a deal.
“They told him if he posed, they wouldn’t put out the other pictures. They told him they’d make him look good,” said the source. “They also gave him a few bucks for his trouble.”

Since this is a tabloid, we need to be careful in accepting this. But IF true-----
1) He should have gone to KP or even the police. Why didn't he?
2) Was he that out of it due to the immense stress and his condition?
3) Maybe he just felt he did not want to involve Meghan in this---given she was preoccupied with the wedding preparations?

Whatever it was, I still think he does love his daughter and never intended to maliciously hurt her or Doria. Unlike the terrible twosome of Samantha and Junior.

Sad overall. Still hopes he recovers fully.

 

[Ista]

I am concerned that this entire mess will leave an enormous shadow on this event and means continued intense tabloid attention on Meghan's family is now inevitable even well beyond the wedding itself. It is the gift that gives on giving as far as they're concerned.

I must admit, all this has made me appreciate the Middletons so much more. They too have been attacked, belittled, hounded and slandered but Michael and Carole in particular have truly behaved impeccably.

I think that the shadow seemed much larger and darker than it really was for a while because until the last couple of days, Harry and Meghan were out of the press lens as they prepared for the wedding. That and silence from KP allowed the weirdness from the Markle clan to assume much larger proportions. I'm hoping that now with the countdown to the wedding underway, there will be a little more balance.

Having said that, I'm under no illusions that the loony brigade is going to disappear--as I recall, there was still plenty of bad press for the Middletons even after George was born (how dare Carole spend so much time with her grandson! The Queen is furious!!!), then it finally died down.

But Meghan and Harry are going to have many more opportunities to refocus the news cycle on their real work: their charities, and their work for the Queen, whatever that is, and wherever that takes them. I see today as the point at which the reset button was pressed, and I believe and hope that as time passes, the Markles will become less and less of a story. At this point, what more do they really have to say?

Anyway, one can hope.

 

[French Toast]

No one important in this story--he is an actor and "professional wrestler." Just something silly I imagine.
I don't know if Meghan has ever even met him.

Oh ok. Thank you for responding Gawin and O-H Anglophile.

 

[Teeda]

And now it is reported that police can find no record of a car accident where Samantha supposedly broke her ankle. Hmmm...

 

[csw]

A helpful diagram to keep track of how the Markles are related:

https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624.../_101597551_meghan_family_tree_inf_640-nc.jpg

It's part of the BBC Royal Wedding section.

 

[FashionMaven]

And now it is reported that police can find no record of a car accident where Samantha supposedly broke her ankle. Hmmm...

Would love a link to a source? Many of us suspected her story was bogus.

Nevermind. Found it. This sounds legit because they have statements from the Florida HIghway Patrol who say that if Sam/her BF hit a barrier and left without reporting it they can and will be charged with Hit and Run.

Hahahahahahahahaaa!!!!!!!!


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-car-crash-paparazzi-say-law-enforcement.html

 

[Zonk]

Let's not get carried away.

Let's stick to the topic.

No speculation on past, present or future events.

 

[FashionMaven]

Let's not get carried away.

Let's stick to the topic.

No speculation on past, present or future events.

Are you referring to the Sam Markle accident? Are we allowed to speculate on that given there is a source?

 

[Zonk]

No speculating on what Sam might say in 2020.

The accident we will play as it goes. its been reported in the main stream press so its fair to disucss. We will not speculate on whether or not its true until more information is revealed.

How's that?

 

[ACO]

So TMZ has started looking into Samantha's past and went to her home and saw no damage to her car. The cops can't find any evidence of said accident. That is what she gets. She wanted the spotlight. She wanted the fame and attention. Well there is another side to it.

 

[AlowVera]

Would love a link to a source? Many of us suspected her story was bogus.

Nevermind. Found it. This sounds legit because they have statements from the Florida HIghway Patrol who say that if Sam/her BF hit a barrier and left without reporting it they can and will be charged with Hit and Run.

Hahahahahahahahaaa!!!!!!!!


NO evidence of Meghan Markle's sister 'car crash with paparazzi' says law enforcement | Daily Mail Online

100 percent certifiable!! Additionally they mention her record of child abuse. Why is anyone paying her to lie about Meghan?

TMZ is dubious but they don't play because they actually do the leg work. They stay in the courthouses.

 

[FashionMaven]

100 percent certifiable!! seems the Daily Fail actually started researching instead of just parroting Sam's propaganda. Additionally they mention her record of child abuse. Why is anyone paying her to lie about Meghan?

Her 15 mins is just about up.

 

[PtahHotep]

I think this is allowed, right? Under "background." It looks like Trevor is pausing (temporarily, at least) his plans for his proposed comedy-drama show to air:

Meghan Markle's ex Trevor Engelson pulls plug on TV pitch loosely based on her life | Fox News

But an insider told the Sun on Tuesday that Markle’s pals talked to Engelson at her behest and convinced him to suspend working on the show, for a little while at least.

Markle reportedly reached out to her ex to thank him for pausing the project.
“She did reach out to him — with Harry’s agreement — to thank him for not telling their story in public,” the source said.

Quite nice of Trevor to do this, I must say. At least for the time being. From what I've read, he is still bitter over the divorce. There is of course Morton's claim she sent back the wedding ring to him over the mail but I don't know if I believe that.

Could this show be his attempt to get back at her somehow? If I was female and Meghan specifically, I would be worried about how I might be portrayed on the show.

Time will tell. ??

100 percent certifiable!! Additionally they mention her record of child abuse. Why is anyone paying her to lie about Meghan?

TMZ is dubious but they don't play because they actually do the leg work. They stay in the courthouses.

Harvey Levin is, after all, still a lawyer. He knows how to cover all the bases.

And yes, Samantha basically has been accused by her youngest Noel of selling her children.

Nice woman.

Her 15 mins is just about up.

She never had 15 minutes. The media tolerated her as long as it did because they thought she knew Meghan and could at least provide insight or some sort of dirt on her. Boy, were they wrong.

Only in her certifiable mind is she still on "15 minutes."

LOL.

 

[Osipi]

Well.... holy crap on a cracker! It seems like when Karma sits down for a meal, its a 7 course gourmet one and no crumbs left behind.

The tide certainly seems to have turned against Samantha in regards to this accident and I'm leaning towards taking the statements issued by law enforcement to be relatively credible even though the article is in the Fail.

As far as the wheelchair in the hospital, all I can say is that it sure doesn't look like a regulation wheelchair employed by hospitals. Also, should Samantha have been in a car crash resulting hitting a windshield and then crumpling to the floorboards of the vehicle, any trained EMS will tell you that the patient would *not* be sitting up in a wheelchair in the hospital until after extensive tests would have been done to rule out spinal injuries and most definitely, Samantha would *not* have been sitting there in street clothes. There is quite a bit about all this that is very questionable for me.

I have trained in EMS standard operating procedures and this is what crosses my mind but don't take my thoughts as gospel. I'm just opining on what I see.

 

[bekalc]

I tend to agree with you. The biggest tragedy to me here is that this was a good man who was too weak to stand up under the pressure and the lure of money.

BTW, I put this out yesterday but was not "vetted" yet but now I can.

https://pagesix.com/2018/05/15/paparazzi-agency-blamed-for-setting-up-meghan-markles-father/



Since this is a tabloid, we need to be careful in accepting this. But IF true-----
1) He should have gone to KP or even the police. Why didn't he?
2) Was he that out of it due to the immense stress and his condition?
3) Maybe he just felt he did not want to involve Meghan in this---given she was preoccupied with the wedding preparations?

Whatever it was, I still think he does love his daughter and never intended to maliciously hurt her or Doria. Unlike the terrible twosome of Samantha and Junior.

Sad overall. Still hopes he recovers fully.

But police can’t stop press from the photos. He maybe didn’t want to bother daughter. He was offered a 100k for interview and refused.

It’s why I don’t think the photos are horrible transgression the man sounded horrified that he embarrassed his daughter. Which is why the whole I won’t come then. Dianna and lots of celebrities make these deals with the press.
The man wasn’t selling access to his daughter and I do think it was his daughter and Harry’s job to shield him.