The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family 11: 7 May - 31 Dec 2025

[Kaye1850]

Absolutely, and you posted it before I had time to do so! I always found that so strange! In an English formal engagement - and you really can't get more formal than marrying into the BRF - the families meet each other [often they already know each other already] and then the young man asks the bride's father for his daughter's hand in marriage. Old fashioned? Yes, certainly, but it does mean the families have met each other! And perhaps that would be too much for the 'feminist' Ms Markle. Without wishing to upset her fans, looking at things from my perspective, Meghan seems to have based her career [or the last few years of it] on extracting what she can from influential men.....

As I understand the narrative, Harry spoke to Thomas on the phone and asked for Meghan’s hand:

“The 33-year-old royal even made sure to give Thomas a call before presenting Meghan with her ring, to formally ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

“Harry asked for her hand over the phone and I said, ‘You’re a gentleman, promise me you’ll never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission.'”

 

[carlota]

The duke of Sussex made a surprise appearance on the Late Show With Stephen Colbert last night
Prince Harry recreates Alison Hammond's iconic Bake Off moment - and fans have thoughts

This was… very odd. Why would he go on television to do a parody / comedy, insult his ancestors, make political statements and generally appear dumb? The lack of judgement of the Sussexes is puzzling at best. Who suggested that this was a good idea? He should know better. I thought they left the RF Because they didn’t want the media spotlight and here they are… on Colbert and Netflix. SMH.

 

[Diarist]

As I understand the narrative, Harry spoke to Thomas on the phone and asked for Meghan’s hand:

“The 33-year-old royal even made sure to give Thomas a call before presenting Meghan with her ring, to formally ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage.

“Harry asked for her hand over the phone and I said, ‘You’re a gentleman, promise me you’ll never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission.'”

Agreed, but as I said in my post, the point is that the families actually MEET with each other, and to me telephoning is NOT the same. Meghan's current holiday special is currently being broadcast, with her public face being 'friendly-cosy-caring-sharing' and then we have today's sad news about Thomas Markle. I hope he recovers soon and since this is the season of goodwill to all men, I hope for reconciliation. I don't want to rake over old coals, but when you have married in a Christian Church and by the Archbishop of Canterbury, it is surely not unreasonable to expect some Christian understanding?

 

[tihkon2]

Most of the comments on the social media posts with Harry's lipsynch to the Great British Bakeoff scene are all about how great and funny and charming he is and not like those stuffy Windsors. So if his goal was to be more popular amongst the trendy American influencer and youth market, then he achieved his goal. But I find such a comedown from where he used to be.

 

[Diarist]

!

This was… very odd. Why would he go on television to do a parody / comedy, insult his ancestors, make political statements and generally appear dumb? The lack of judgement of the Sussexes is puzzling at best. Who suggested that this was a good idea? He should know better. I thought they left the RF Because they didn’t want the media spotlight and here they are… on Colbert and Netflix. SMH.

Why would he do this? Simple! For money, surely!

I find all this so sad. I understand that Harry [and Meghan] felt life within the BRF was not what they wanted, needing a more private life. This tv piece is hardy consistent with a private life and I also find the parody aspect disrespectful to the BRF, a family who has given Harry so much.

I also think that with the King suffering from cancer and Kate still in recovery [but not officially cured] it is not a good idea for Harry to start causing mischief. I also think that as the King [and probably with heavy input from William] has been prepared to remove Andrew's titles, Harry should be careful not to annoy his father and brother.

 

[TLLK]

!


Why would he do this? Simple! For money, surely!

I find all this so sad. I understand that Harry [and Meghan] felt life within the BRF was not what they wanted, needing a more private life. This tv piece is hardy consistent with a private life and I also find the parody aspect disrespectful to the BRF, a family who has given Harry so much.

I also think that with the King suffering from cancer and Kate still in recovery [but not officially cured] it is not a good idea for Harry to start causing mischief. I also think that as the King [and probably with heavy input from William] has been prepared to remove Andrew's titles, Harry should be careful not to annoy his father and brother.

Or the British government and it's citizens.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

Harry "Wales". If Harry requested that introduction, and wanted to pretend to be The Prince of Wales than that's super cringe (and delusional). I suppose being introduced as King Harry is just around the corner...

Was he introduced as Harry Wales? Meghan needs to tell him they are Sussex now, for now.

I heard "Henry Charles Albert David of Wales Sussex" at his introduction, though I did not view the whole clip.

 

[MissByrd]

Most of the comments on the social media posts with Harry's lipsynch to the Great British Bakeoff scene are all about how great and funny and charming he is and not like those stuffy Windsors. So if his goal was to be more popular amongst the trendy American influencer and youth market, then he achieved his goal. But I find such a comedown from where he used to be.

I am fairly sure that the “American youth market” is not even aware that Harry exists.

 

[Somebody]

I heard "Henry Charles Albert David of Wales Sussex" at his introduction, though I did not view the whole clip.

Yes, it was 'Prince Henry Charles Albert David of Wales Sussex" which he clearly isn't. He is no longer a prince of Wales (unless he wants to claim to be William's child) nor is he a prince of Sussex (that's his son).

 

[sophie25]

Well I don't know the in's and out's of their lives but it has been well documented by Meghan herself that Thomas Markle was a loving father to her growing up. If he really is ill then I hope she will make contact before it's too late. My own Dad died 5 weeks ago and the pain is so bad, and that is without us having any discord. I truly hope she will make it up with him before it's too late.

 

[tihkon2]

I am fairly sure that the “American youth market” is not even aware that Harry exists.

Maybe not, but somehow a majority of comments wherever that video is posted, seem to be how cool Harry is. So if not that market, it's another one.

 

[Somebody]

Interesting piece analyzing Meghan's 'luxury brand launch' by Georgina Heffernan, a marketing and communication specialist (who once secured funding for her business through a pitch at Dragon's Den).

Her introduction (so you can decide for yourself if you want to read the full article:
"I've spent twenty years watching celebrities launch lifestyle brands. Some succeed spectacularly (Gwyneth and Goop, obviously). Some fail quietly and disappear into the void where forgotten celebrities go to make fitness videos. And then there's Meghan Markle's "As Ever"—a masterclass in how not to build a luxury brand.

Look, I'm not here to debate the Royal Family drama. But from a pure branding perspective? What's happened with this brand launch is absolutely baffling. It's a case study in how even the strongest personal brand equity can be squandered through poor product strategy and execution."

 

[sophie25]

I just saw the video of Harry and the 'Elected a King' comment. He may not be a working royal anymore but he is still the son of the King of Britain so this is not OK as the USA is our closest ally.We all know his wife's politics but they need to keep this to themselves or drop the royal titles entirely, l know which one I favour.

 

[Magnolia471]

Apparently she is selling chocolate, now! Everything SOLD OUT as aways...

Meghan Markle’s As ever chocolate trio sold out almost immediately. Here’s what was in the holiday drop

Meghan Markle's line As ever’s introduced a three-bar chocolate collaboration with Compartés, built around raspberry spread, shortbread, and flower sprinkles—and it didn’t stay in stock for long.

creators.yahoo.com

 

[Ghost]

Daily Mail is reporting that Thomas Markle’s left leg had been amputated just below the knee.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15355653/Thomas-Markle-loses-leg-Meghan-father-live-saving-surgery-amputate-lower-limb-blood-clot-turn-black.html

 

[victor1319]

Daily Mail is reporting that Thomas Markle’s left leg had been amputated just below the knee.

I just did red, it was very fast from the diagnosis to the amputation...

Poor chap! I hope he survives this, sepsis and all!

News like this make you humble.

 

[Hallo girl]

I just saw the video of Harry and the 'Elected a King' comment. He may not be a working royal anymore but he is still the son of the King of Britain so this is not OK as the USA is our closest ally.We all know his wife's politics but they need to keep this to themselves or drop the royal titles entirely, l know which one I favour.

I totally agree, he is trying the one foot in each camp nonsense, it will not work with President Trump.
He knows exactly what he is doing and pushing the RF for a reaction.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I totally agree, he is trying the one foot in each camp nonsense, it will not work with President Trump.
He knows exactly what he is doing and pushing the RF for a reaction.

What was he doing there in the first place? And nobody forces him to live in a country whose 'King' he doesnt like. Every person with half a brain cell would be embarrassed to present him/herself in that manner.
If I didnt know better I'd be truly feeling sorry for him.

 

[Toledo]

I have absolutely no idea why Harry would agree to do something like this. What is he trying to achieve? Is it just visibility for the sake of visibility?

We call it Tomfoolery. Colbert has expressed his disdain for the UK royals in other shows and this shows how he set a bait for Harry to be on the show to read a script written by people that have no respect for the UK government institution. I can't stand Colbert, another TV millionaire running on grandiosity and a sense of entitlement to tell us, simple mortals, how to live our lives.

What was he doing there in the first place? And nobody forces him to live in a country whose 'King' he doesnt like. Every person with half a brain cell would be embarrassed to present him/herself in that manner.
If I didn't know better I'd be truly feeling sorry for him.

He made Harry look the fool and he fell for it clueless that this comedian has absolutely no respect for him or the UK monarchy. Harry took the bait just to be on the show and what we saw was painful and pathetic. But it also shows what Harry is really like. Not able to make decisions, not able to see Colbert made a mockery out of him and a puppet to voice Colbert's agenda as if they came out of Harry's mind. If this was comedy, why he didn't add an uncle Andrew and auntie Sarah comment or pun, too? Because the goal was to have Harry be a voice for Colbert's teleprompter.

Why is Harry complaining about the USA when his lifestyle and income depends on this country? Did he run the script by Meghan first?

He achieved visibility all right, and the light shed on Harry showed us a sad story of a man without a purpose able to be tricked by another person to be a puppet. Now his wife has a competitor in Colbert for sure. And that makes me think, why Harry and not Meghan at the Colbert political show?

Simply because she's the one with the brains and would say no to that script to antagonize half of the USA population. [.....]

 

[Kaye1850]

Well I don't know the in's and out's of their lives but it has been well documented by Meghan herself that Thomas Markle was a loving father to her growing up. If he really is ill then I hope she will make contact before it's too late. My own Dad died 5 weeks ago and the pain is so bad, and that is without us having any discord. I truly hope she will make it up with him before it's too late.

If Meghan’s father should die, I’m certain she has a plan for that eventuality. It will not come as a shock; we know her to be intelligent and a planner. My fear is she will rewrite history a little, to suit her own ‘truth.’

 

[taogg]

I just saw the video of Harry and the 'Elected a King' comment. He may not be a working royal anymore but he is still the son of the King of Britain so this is not OK as the USA is our closest ally.We all know his wife's politics but they need to keep this to themselves or drop the royal titles entirely, l know which one I favour.

I agree with your point. I don’t have a problem with him going on this kind of late night show. He needs to make a living, and if this helps, then why not. He looked like he was having a blast being roasted on national TV.
The only thing that raised my eyebrow was the “elected king” comment. He still holds royal titles and is expected to remain politically neutral. If he truly wants to get into politics or openly share political views, then he should give up his prince and dukedom titles altogether.

 

[Hallo girl]

If Meghan’s father should die, I’m certain she has a plan for that eventuality. It will not come as a shock; we know her to be intelligent and a planner. My fear is she will rewrite history a little, to suit her own ‘truth.’

With nobody to say recollections may vary.

 

[ACO]

Thomas Markle gets no sympathy from me. He said horrible things about Meghan’s family. She owes him nada. Much like people here say William owes Harry nada. I agree with both cases.

Speedy recovery and all that jazz. Got nothing to do with Meghan who hasn’t acknowledged this man in almost a decade.

Fascinating it’s always the same Daily Mail reportir with them everywhere they go.

 

[Hallo girl]

Thomas Markle gets no sympathy from me. He said horrible things about Meghan’s family. She owes him nada. Much like people here say William owes Harry nada. I agree with both cases.

Speedy recovery and all that jazz. Got nothing to do with Meghan who hasn’t acknowledged this man in almost a decade.

Fascinating it’s always the same Daily Mail reportir with them everywhere they go.

Now we know where Meghan got it from then

 

[ACO]

That is what is strange as Meghan had previously spoke about her father in a very fond manner, photographs of Thanksgiving celebrations.

I never got the impression they were especially close in her adult years. She posted mostly about her mother on the Tig. Thomas never really seemed to visit her. And based on other comments from the Markles, it would seem they didn’t really interact all that much.

I have no doubt Meghan did love her father but time and hurt can change a lot. And his (and his other children’s) nasty antics (racist comments about Doria, saying her children don’t really exist, wishing harm on Meghan…) wouldn’t exactly want to be near them either.

It is what it is. Meghan hasn’t acknowledged any of them unless forced in YEARS. They need to just leave her alone and go about their lives.

 

[Hallo girl]

I never got the impression they were especially close in her adult years. She posted mostly about her mother on the Tig. Thomas never really seemed to visit her. And based on other comments from the Markles, it would seem they didn’t really interact all that much.

I have no doubt Meghan did love her father but time and hurt can change a lot. And his (and his other children’s) nasty antics (racist comments about Doria, saying her children don’t really exist, wishing harm on Meghan…) wouldn’t exactly want to be near them either.

It is what it is. Meghan hasn’t acknowledged any of them unless forced in YEARS. They need to just leave her alone and go about their lives.

The only people who know the true story are the people involved, we can all make assumptions and take sides, in these situations the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
As I said on another thread about a completely different story, social media runs with a story and takes it down a road it shouldn't go.
We cannot be sure any of that is true if we were not in the room to hear it, and has often been said on these forums the media use clickbait.

 

[ACO]

The only people who know the true story are the people involved, we can all make assumptions and take sides, in these situations the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.
As I said on another thread about a completely different story, social media runs with a story and takes it down a road it shouldn't go.
We cannot be sure any of that is true if we were not in the room to hear it, and has often been said on these forums the media use clickbait.

Agreed. So people should stop trying to force reconciliations (no matter who it is) on people since we don’t know anything.

That said, we absolutely know the things Thomas, Samantha and Thomas Jr have said about Meghan, her husband, her mother and her children. It very easily searched on the internet. Heck Dan Wootton posted a clip last night of Jr wishing physical harm on Meghan.

So again I don’t exactly blame her for keeping her distance.

 

[Hallo girl]

I find it interesting the people who suddenly become great reliable sources.

 

[ACO]

I find it interesting the people who suddenly become great reliable sources.

You mean me? I’m just posting what anyone with google could look up. The Markles arent exactly silent. You can literally go to their social media and see for yourself.

 

[caethi]

Agreed. So people should stop trying to force reconciliations (no matter who it is) on people since we don’t know anything.

That said, we absolutely know the things Thomas, Samantha and Thomas Jr have said about Meghan, her husband, her mother and her children. It very easily searched on the internet. Heck Dan Wootton posted a clip last night of Jr wishing physical harm on Meghan.

So again I don’t exactly blame her for keeping her distance.

I don't like Meghan for a lot of reasons. However, I would never judge someone for keeping their distance from a parent or family member, for the simple reason that I do not know the details of their relationship. I think it is appalling that members of the press are calling for her to contact her father, now that he is ill. It's none of their/our business. I suppose it is a bit rich that she goes on about the importance of family in her Christmas special, but let's face it, "family" means a lot of different things to different people, and we have no idea about how Meghan defines her family (except that from the outside, it seems to exclude her father and her father's family and her half-siblings). It's more of the Meghan "pile-on" that I dislike. Meghan gives us lots to criticize in her business dealings and her comments about the BRF; we don't need to feed indignation about her lack of relationship with her father.