Meghan Markle's Family Ties: A Tale of Two Sides
During the May 2018 wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, only a single family member from Meghan’s side was present.
Since her rise to public prominence, Meghan’s connections with her extended family have been strained, yet the former actress has consistently maintained a strong bond with her mother, Doria Ragland. Her relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, however, tells a different story.
Thomas was absent from his daughter’s nuptials, having experienced a heart attack in the wake of a staged paparazzi incident. In his stead, King Charles III, Harry’s father, assumed the role of escorting Meghan down the aisle.
In an August 2018 letter, which he later disclosed to the Mail on Sunday, the Duchess of Sussex addressed Thomas regarding their estrangement. She penned, “Your conduct has shattered my heart into countless fragments — not only because you’ve created such needless and unjustified distress, but by opting against veracity while being manipulated in this situation.” She concluded, “This is something I will never comprehend.”
Troubles of a comparable nature arose between Meghan and her half-sister, Samantha Markle, as well as her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr. During the 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, Meghan disclosed that she retains a strong connection with her niece, Ashleigh Hale, who is Samantha’s biological child.
Notwithstanding the ongoing issues on her paternal side, the former actress leaned on her mother when she and Harry became parents to their son Archie in May 2019 and daughter Lilibet in June 2021. After their 2020 move from the royal family to California, Harry and Meghan frequently welcomed Doria for visits.
Continue below for further information regarding Meghan’s relatives:
