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


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There is quite obviously more to the 'Thomas Markle Debacle' than has ever come out .. yet, because I rather fear that one day Meghan Markle will produce 'her story' part 2!

To me, clearly poor old Thomas had been, well, 'markled' long, long before his 'photo' transgressions. As we all continually remind ourselves, Meghan Markle had never even introduced Harry to her father .. how odd...

Or did Meghan Markle feel that Thomas was of 'no further use to her'? Doria Ragland presumably was 'useful' to the Meghan Markle narrative as a person of colour...

I have come to the conclusion that Meghan Markle should not have been allowed to marry harry until all the 'baggage' surrounding her wedding had been resolved. She should for a start have been informed that in BRF weddings, all members of the wider royal British family are customarily invited.... She should also have been advised that in British family weddings there is always [at least!] one family member who is (shall we say) 'embarrassing'. The 'embarrassing person' role at William and Kate's wedding was provided by the infamous 'Uncle Garry' [Middleton] who on the great day caused no problems whatsoever so far as we the wider public were aware ...

Usually at a British wedding the problem is cost - i.e. people cannot afford to have all the people they would like to invite. That was not a concern for Harry and Meghan Markle thanks to HLM. [I had 500 guests even after some severe 'pruning' of the guestlist - not hard with two large-ish family - a not-usual size in my circle at that time...]

One thing that always jarred with me was the revelation in in the Telegraph and the Times that on the announcement of the Royal Engagement, the British Consulate delivered to Dora Ragland a copy of the 'Permission' inscribed on vellum. No such courtesy was extended to poor old Thomas.....

There was Meghan Markle being received into the Church of England with its tradition of love and forgiveness yet she could provide none of this to her poor old Dad who had so generously provided for her in the past ....

I have often wondered why HLM was not more proactive in stepping in - and have come to the conclusion that they did not want to risk Harry 'going rogue' - 'whatever Meghan wants, Meghan gets' - because in reality they knew that Harry - contrary to the carefully crafted image of 'good old fun-loving Harry' was really something less wholesome....

I look at Meghan Markle's 'Christmas Crafting' as she [attempts to] portray(s) herself as a wonderfully warm person with her ideas and now she is trying to align herself with the iconic Girl Scout Cookie sale .....

It all seems rather far from being authentic, but rather a scattergun approach by the Sussexes to trying to raise revenue - and in view of the recent pronouncement by the Judge in Harry's forthcoming legal action against the Daily Mail that the costs are now in the region of £35million (sic) the Sussexes are going to need all the money they can get if the decision does not go in the favour [or as the Telegraph put it, that is an awful lot of jam [they mean 'spread', surely!] that Meghan Markle is going to be making......
 
A look at the jewellery worn by the duchess in the With Love series , its estimated that she has worn $420,000 worth of jewelry in the season one trailer alone!
11 pieces of jewelry Meghan Markle wears on With Love, Meghan (and yes, I want them all)

I searched through the article and found no mention if the $420,000 worth of jewelry was on loan for the production, as they do on Red Carpet events, or belongs to her. I'll assume the later unless anyone can check in the TV show credits if the companies get a mention as suppliers of the $420,000 worth of jewelry.

The good news is Living La Vida Royal is great for Meghan, she blings it up in one wrist more than her TV show salary before meeting prince Harry.
 
This ongoing fracas between Meghan and her father got me thinking. Given all the toxicity around Meghan and her relations with her and Harry's family, I am surprised she decided to enter into the lifestyle business.

Surely one as bright as her would have worked out that toxicity is not aspirational, and few would want to buy products closely associated with somebody whose public persona is anything but wholesome.
 
Unless they can prove otherwise it surely doesn’t matter. They not funding her. They are others though, so they should focus on that and tally it up. :)

I totally understand your point, which is 100% valid as long as she owns them. But our humor comments here are more about what we'll call Meghan's Living La Vida Royal, as in she had no money but a salary on an ensemble show, as a background character, most of us never heard about.

She hit the royal jackpot with a rich prince while lecturing humanity about women's empowerment and independence as she markets in the USA the hell out of being a member of the UK's royal house of Windsor.

All the gazillions in the USA are sourced out of a title her husband shares with her. And with no responsibilities toward the nation she uses as stepping stone every time her name Meghan is followed by the mention Duchess of Sussex. Just like the rearranged credit list of her new movie production about selling girl scout cookies.

I give her credit for her skills on how to make money as she navigates amongst the A-List of people that actually got there, on that A-list, on merit. Yet, in the back of my head I heard the echo of the word grifters from that Netflix executive years ago. :)
 
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100 per cent agree! It is all so sad. What a strange kind of 'feminist' and 'humanitarian' she is!

Poor old Meghan Markle did not have a clue about royal behaviour. How I remember the infamous 'joint interview' as Meghan spoke about 'Me Too' - and Kate's expression [silent shock and surprise] as Meghan Markle prattled on in her 'woke way'. She seems to have learned nothing subsequently as her latest endeavours into the retail world have shown ...

Harry was never going to be any use at explaining how things worked to her - he was just the 'useful idiot' in her plans and his latest appearance in Meghan Markle's Netflix Holiday Special just seems to underline this...

Prince Philip said it all - you 'step out with actresses, you don't marry them'.

I have this theory that nobody should be allowed to marry into the BRF until they have spent at least two years dating the royal in question. Look at the most successful 'commoner' marriage -Sophie and Kate. Compare and contrast with the marriages of Diana [aristocratic lineage but around 9 months of dating Charles before the engagement]; similarly with Fergie - upper class but not long enough with Andrew before the engagement - Royal Ascot 1985, engaged 6 months later.

Meghan (apparently] had no idea of royal life [hardly a surprise] but also seemed to have no idea of how to behave decently - complaints and rows and apparently 'weaponising' her race and even threatening suicide because it was apparently all too terrible - I mean, she was even made to wear nude pantyhose!

Don't get me wrong - I feel so much and so deeply for all those who suffer mental anguish, but I am sorry, I do not think Meghan Markle fell into that category - she appeared to be revelling in all that she had been given, moving from a cable tv actress with a rented home and leased car to a title and then a Montecito mansion and A-list friends. What I really wanted to see from her was kindness and compassion- instead with the Festive Season approaching I see no evidence of generosity to her ailing father. So very sad....
 
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It would be nice if Meghan and her father reconnected but we do not know the amount of pain and hurt inflicted on each other. Same goes for Harry and his family. She is supposed to forgive and forget what has gone on with her father but the BRF does not need to do the same with Harry? Some people can forgive what was said and done and others just need to move on to protect their own peace. Family dynamics can get messy and sometimes time heals but not always. They aren't the only families that are on the outs with each other. Theirs is just tabloid news, speculation and finger pointing. Hopefully they all find peace with their choices and do what is best for themselves.
 

Oh, no! I was looking forward on her Easter Holiday Special ‘With Love, Meghan: A Resurrection Celebration’


It would be nice if Meghan and her father reconnected but we do not know the amount of pain and hurt inflicted on each other. Same goes for Harry and his family. She is supposed to forgive and forget what has gone on with her father but the BRF does not need to do the same with Harry? Some people can forgive what was said and done and others just need to move on to protect their own peace. Family dynamics can get messy and sometimes time heals but not always. They aren't the only families that are on the outs with each other. Theirs is just tabloid news, speculation and finger pointing. Hopefully they all find peace with their choices and do what is best for themselves.

As they say in the USA, that ship has sailed already. As in it's not turning around and picking them up to fix things. It's a broken family that was never unified to start with. From what I recall reading years ago, Meghan was close to her paternal grandmother who in turn was disgusted by her other older granddaughter using racist terms against Meghan and her mother. You can't fix that type of hate with a "I'm sorry" that easy.

There's better chance of Meghan and Harry returning to the UK to meet with King Charles than them going to Cebu Island and deal with her own dad and mercurial half-brother.
 

What does everyone think of this? (It is funny; I wonder if the Sussexes will react?)
 

U.K. News Channel Issues Apology Over False Claim Meghan Markle’s Mom, Doria Ragland, Was in Prison​

By Tufayel Ahmed
December 16, 2025

U.K. news network GB News has issued an apology after airing a false claim that Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, was once imprisoned.

Broadcaster Carole Malone apologized on air Monday, December 15, after alleging earlier this month that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, “brought her up while her mother was in jail.”

On Monday, Malone, 71, said, “On Thursday, December the 4th, 2025, I stated that Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex’s father, brought Meghan up while her mother, Doria Ragland, was in prison.”

“I believed this to be the case based on what I now understand to be misinformation I had seen online,” Malone continued, per footage posted on X. “I was questioned about the validity of this claim during the broadcast and I repeated this belief, which I now understand to be false.”



GB News Presenter Apologises For Repeating Lies About Meghan Markle's Mum On Air​

Carole Malone said she was "sincerely" sorry for her recent comments about Doria Ragland.
Daniel Welsh | HuffPost
By Daniel Welsh
16/12/2025 10:11am GMT
[...]
Pressed on this by other panellists, the former Celebrity Big Brother housemate then wrongly insisted that Ragland was imprisoned “years ago”, despite this not being the case, and retorted: “Do you want me to give you a precise date and time?”

After facing backlash online for repeating lies about Meghan’s family live on air, Carole read out an apology on Monday morning.



 
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What does everyone think of this? (It is funny; I wonder if the Sussexes will react?)
He went on: 'Two months ago we asked out followers who should be on the windows and Meghan’s name [repeatedly] came up and they stated reasons.'


So as the article stated, the store owner asked followers who should make the list and Meghan's name came up repeatedly. As I recall the Sussexes made the list a couple of years ago. Also on the list were Gov. Gavin Newsome, Katy Perry, George Clooney etc...
I don't believe that the Sussexes will publicly comment. As for the "Sussex Squad," this type of harassment behavior from them is now well known ie: Dr. Sophie Chanduaka being harassed outside her home.
 
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What does everyone think of this? (It is funny; I wonder if the Sussexes will react?)

The shop owner is affluent enough to tap his phone line and, with the assistance of the police, track down each and everyone of the callers and place a police report that can lead to an arrest for harassment. And he also has the right to have an opinion about Meghan since he moves within those same circles and knows what makes her be social kryptonite to businesses like his. The Meghan mob harassing him are people that read online celebrity stories and think of themselves as personal soldiers or celebrity stalkers. Like if they get involved in her quarrels somehow she will notice them.

U.K. News Channel Issues Apology Over False Claim Meghan Markle’s Mom, Doria Ragland, Was in Prison​

By Tufayel Ahmed
December 16, 2025

U.K. news network GB News has issued an apology after airing a false claim that Meghan Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, was once imprisoned.

Broadcaster Carole Malone apologized on air Monday, December 15, after alleging earlier this month that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, “brought her up while her mother was in jail.”
[...]
“I believed this to be the case based on what I now understand to be misinformation I had seen online,” Malone continued, per footage posted on X. “I was questioned about the validity of this claim during the broadcast and I repeated this belief, which I now understand to be false.”



GB News Presenter Apologises For Repeating Lies About Meghan Markle's Mum On Air​

Carole Malone said she was "sincerely" sorry for her recent comments about Doria Ragland.
Daniel Welsh | HuffPost
By Daniel Welsh
16/12/2025 10:11am GMT
[...]
Earlier this month, during a segment about the Duchess of Sussex’s father Thomas Markle, Carole falsely claimed that Meghan’s dad “brought her up” and “paid for her private education while her mother was in jail”.

Pressed on this by other panellists, the former Celebrity Big Brother housemate then wrongly insisted that Ragland was imprisoned “years ago”, despite this not being the case, and retorted: “Do you want me to give you a precise date and time?”

After facing backlash online for repeating lies about Meghan’s family live on air, Carole read out an apology on Monday morning.


This is the first time I heard this about Doria. The part I don't get is how a TV personality with staff associated to check her stories did not research the lie. In the USA court arrest and prison records are public records and the most basic search can take you directly to the specific State judicial website. There you search by party name on civil and/or criminal cases to obtain validity before this TV lady decided to run her mouth with that claim. That easy.

I don't know much on Doria but that TV host's forced apology should not be accepted, and her son-in-law Harry has a lot of litigators that could assist her sue both the host, production company and why not the channel too. It would take years of back and forth or a settlement but either way Doria has the chance to win some cash, too.
 
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Sorry but I just think that Kitson's doing this is just mean spirited. I don't care who they have pictures of in their windows.By them doing this they are part of the problem. Its the holiday season. There's enough nastiness and cruelty going around without people intentionally joining in and provoking people on both sides. Personally I would never spend a dime in a store that did something like this.
 
It would be nice if Meghan and her father reconnected but we do not know the amount of pain and hurt inflicted on each other. Same goes for Harry and his family. She is supposed to forgive and forget what has gone on with her father but the BRF does not need to do the same with Harry? Some people can forgive what was said and done and others just need to move on to protect their own peace. Family dynamics can get messy and sometimes time heals but not always. They aren't the only families that are on the outs with each other. Theirs is just tabloid news, speculation and finger pointing. Hopefully they all find peace with their choices and do what is best for themselves.
I agree with what you say in general. But her father just got his leg amputated, he is 81 years old and could potentially die. This is where Meghan needs to show compassion. She does not need to reconcile per se. just show a little care to her elderly father. A little compassion I promise you will go a long way. Harry went immediately to his father’s side when he heard of his father’s illness although there was grievance. Plus we only heard grievances from Harry and Meghan. And as much as we talk about source and leaks from the Royal family . We never heard them say one unkind word about Harry and Meghan.
 
^I understand the points you are making Royaldancer. We really don't know what someone's breaking point is before they have to step back and protect their own well being. There could be a lot more things that have happened between Meghan and her father that we dont know about. Its a decision that only she can make and hopefully it's not something she will regret. Also we have no idea what was in her letter to him. Its all anyone's guess.
 
But that’s the probl
^I understand the points you are making Royaldancer. We really don't know what someone's breaking point is before they have to step back and protect their own well being. There could be a lot more things that have happened between Meghan and her father that we dont know about. It’s a decision that only she can make and hopefully it's not something she will regret. Also we have no idea what was in her letter to him. It’s all anyone's guess.
But that’s the problem she shouldn’t have written a letter that’s feel so cold and very sad .
 
It would be nice if Meghan and her father reconnected but we do not know the amount of pain and hurt inflicted on each other. Same goes for Harry and his family. She is supposed to forgive and forget what has gone on with her father but the BRF does not need to do the same with Harry? Some people can forgive what was said and done and others just need to move on to protect their own peace. Family dynamics can get messy and sometimes time heals but not always. They aren't the only families that are on the outs with each other. Theirs is just tabloid news, speculation and finger pointing. Hopefully they all find peace with their choices and do what is best for themselves.
While I do agree with your sentiment, the BRF along with a significant percentage citizens of the UK are likely reluctant to "forgive and forget" because the Sussexes now have a documented history of immediately going to the press after visits, phone calls, texts etc.. to share their side. IMO it was quite clear at 2022's Jubilee Service and HLM QEII's funeral that a number of Harry's cousins, are clearly avoiding him.
If the Sussexes can curb that need to tell all to the press, perhaps there can be a chance of "forgive and forget."
 
But that’s the probl

But that’s the problem she shouldn’t have written a letter that’s feel so cold and very sad .
I think maybe in this case a letter was better. It gives you time to gather all your thoughts and reread and edit. Phone calls you get interrupted, hung up on, saying things in a reactive way etc.I know myself sometimes I will go back and reread something before I send it and revise it to make my thoughts, feelings better understood. Hopefully (depending on her letter) he writes back to her.
 
It would be nice if Meghan and her father reconnected but we do not know the amount of pain and hurt inflicted on each other. Same goes for Harry and his family. She is supposed to forgive and forget what has gone on with her father but the BRF does not need to do the same with Harry? Some people can forgive what was said and done and others just need to move on to protect their own peace. Family dynamics can get messy and sometimes time heals but not always. They aren't the only families that are on the outs with each other. Theirs is just tabloid news, speculation and finger pointing. Hopefully they all find peace with their choices and do what is best for themselves.

Agreed. It’s always fascinating seeing people try to emotionally manipulate reconciliations.

If people can understand and support William never talking to Harry, then why can’t people do the same with Meghan and her father (and his other children).

It’s their choice how they deal with their family relationships. None of us have any idea what’s really going on behind the scenes.

Also GB NEWS lying about Doria is hardly surprising. The only reason they begrudgingly apologize is because they were very likely served a legal notice.
 
^I understand the points you are making Royaldancer. We really don't know what someone's breaking point is before they have to step back and protect their own well being. There could be a lot more things that have happened between Meghan and her father that we dont know about. Its a decision that only she can make and hopefully it's not something she will regret. Also we have no idea what was in her letter to him. Its all anyone's guess.
Your comment about “no regrets” is spot on. My opinion is that it’s important to examine your heart and think about what you will feel when a parent passes - no matter what the relationship is like. If you find that you will feel regret, you should do whatever it is you need to do so that you are at peace. If you don’t want to do anything and think that you’ll feel good about that years down the road, then that’s your decision and choice. But whatever you do or don’t do needs to be a very deep consideration.

I also think that compassion goes a long way. Mr Markle didn’t abuse his daughter physically or emotionally. Indeed, in one of the articles someone posted recently upthread, Meghan called him “Daddy” and was very positive and effusive in her praise for him. Had he abused her, absolutely- cutting him off is setting an important boundary. But I believe he has done some really dumb things trying to get her attention, he’s been used by the media for their own gains, and had two heart attacks (I think?) right before she got married. The man was in way over his head from the get go and no one helped him - except Samantha and Tom Jr (ha!). Where was Harry? Where were BP’s men-in-gray-suits? The RF’s PR people? Meghan was out of her depth too, even though she probably thought she could handle it.

Meghan learned at someone’s knee - by childhood observation or by explicit conversation- that you ghost/discard people who are no longer of use to you. Wonder which parent she learned that from……hmmm.
 
If people can understand and support William never talking to Harry, then why can’t people do the same with Meghan and her father (and his other children).
I think she doesn't have to contact anybody if that's her wish, but IMO these two cases have a different context and therefore might be interpreted differently by some people.
 
I also think that compassion goes a long way. Mr Markle didn’t abuse his daughter physically or emotionally.

I think one can argue he has emotionally abused her plenty. This man had went to the UK media and said extremely unkind things about his daughter and her husband. One interview he literally mocked her mental heath and said he would do anything to help the tabloids sue her. Her father. He has a whole documentary saying all kind of things.

If he did that publicly then, who knows what he has said and or did privately.

People are sensitive to folks they love— even those who hurt them. We see it all the time in abuse cases. They go back. They excuse. They cover it up! Yada yada. Do I know it happened? No one knows either way. So we shouldn’t speak as if we have the facts.

All we know is that this isn’t just about a bad photoshoot. It was clearly something that’s has been building and it exploded during a period when she thought her father would protect her and not hurt her.

And he never stopped. So here they are.
 
Your comment about “no regrets” is spot on. My opinion is that it’s important to examine your heart and think about what you will feel when a parent passes - no matter what the relationship is like. If you find that you will feel regret, you should do whatever it is you need to do so that you are at peace. If you don’t want to do anything and think that you’ll feel good about that years down the road, then that’s your decision and choice. But whatever you do or don’t do needs to be a very deep consideration.

I also think that compassion goes a long way. Mr Markle didn’t abuse his daughter physically or emotionally. Indeed, in one of the articles someone posted recently upthread, Meghan called him “Daddy” and was very positive and effusive in her praise for him. Had he abused her, absolutely- cutting him off is setting an important boundary. But I believe he has done some really dumb things trying to get her attention, he’s been used by the media for their own gains, and had two heart attacks (I think?) right before she got married. The man was in way over his head from the get go and no one helped him - except Samantha and Tom Jr (ha!). Where was Harry? Where were BP’s men-in-gray-suits? The RF’s PR people? Meghan was out of her depth too, even though she probably thought she could handle it.

Meghan learned at someone’s knee - by childhood observation or by explicit conversation- that you ghost/discard people who are no longer of use to you. Wonder which parent she learned that from……hmmm.
I agree with everything you said, except for the last sentence, which I'm skeptical about. I don't believe that one automatically adopts all of one's parents' behavior and opinions ; on the contrary, and this is my personal experience, I rejected many of my mother's principles and opinions and, over the course of my life, found my own independent path. Of course, much is shaped by upbringing, and if these are positive aspects, as I also experienced, then that's fine. But ultimately, one develops into an individual with one's own opinions and ways how to handle other people, be it family or friends.
 
At times I think the Sussex couple drag an entire reality show trailing behind them, and all focused on broken family relations. We all see both sides of the story on a daily basis, as we discuss the articles posted, and when you step away its like we can't see the end of it.

The worst possible conflicts in a person's life, or a married couple, are family members interfering especially if the person(s) are financially successful. I just don't see the end of any of this in 2026 and yet, for me the key to finish these dramas always centers on Meghan. She could put her foot down on these half siblings from hell, have a heart to heart talk with her father so he stops associating with the tabloids, and just go and visit her father in-law with the kids and make everyone's jaw drop.

Yet, she does nothing as drama piles up on that reality show trailing behind her and Harry. 😕
 
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