Royal Wedding
Feuds, Arrests & Betrayal: Inside Meghan Markle's Broken Family
May 25 2018, Updated 8:30 p.m. ET
When Meghan Markle marries Prince Harry, her family will be moving on up to the royal ranks. It will be quite an adjustment for the Markles, who have famously fought amongst themselves and others. Meghan’s mother and father divorced when she was just six years old. Her father, Thomas Markle, Sr. is a former lighting director in Hollywood. The 73-year-old was expected to walk his daughter down the aisle, but instead, created some last-minute drama for the family when he suddenly announced he would be a no-show! Check out the family’s feuds and faux pas in this RadarOnline.com gallery.
As RadarOnline.com revealed, Thomas, Sr., who has always lived a reclusive lifestyle, was suddenly seen everywhere in London ahead of the wedding.
Now, he’s accused of staging those photo ops for personal financial gain.
The frazzled father also claimed to the media he suffered a heart attack six days ago, but checked himself out of the hospital so he could prepare for the wedding.
“It’s clear to look at Thomas, he is not used to Royal protocols or attending posh events, especially not on the level of a Royal wedding,” an insider told RadarOnline.com.
Before the big day, Thomas was scheduled to take etiquette lessons, which would cover everything from how he should act when he meets the Queen to how he should start conversations with royals.
“The training he is going to get in the run up to the big day is not snobbery,” the source added. “It will actually make him feel comfortable as it is designed to demystify Royal protocols and traditions, so he will not be confused about how she act in front of royals.
After her parents’ divorce, Meghan lived with her mom, Doria Radlan, whom Meghan described as a free-spirited yoga instructor and social worker who has always been her best friend.
Prince Harry even followed standard tradition and asked permission to marry her famous daughter, before officially popping the question
The royal love however doesn’t extend to Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas, Jr., who is reportedly not invited to the wedding.
Thomas, Jr., 51, has spent years slamming his celebrity sis, and called her upcoming nuptials “the biggest mistake in royal wedding history" in a hand-written letter to the prince.
He also branded her a “jaded, shallow, conceited woman” in the venom-filled note.
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But Thomas, Jr. is no stranger to mistakes of his own. As RadarOnline.com revealed he was arrested in Jan. 2017, after drunkenly holding a gun to his girlfriend, Darlene Blount’s, head.
And then, in a bombshell interview with RadarOnline.com, he tried to make excuses for his actions.
“It was unloaded. There were no bullets in it,” he claimed of the illegal deadly weapon. “Everyone makes mistakes. This time I made a bad one; but we all do.”
The two charges were eventually dismissed, but only after authorities in Oregon were suspiciously “‘unable to locate” Blount to talk about the case.
While Thomas, Jr. spewed hatred, his own son came to Meghan’s defense, explaining that his dad is only after money, and admitted the two have a strained relationship
Thomas Dooley, a 26-year-old Dominos Pizza owner, exclusively told RadarOnline.com that he is “proud” of his aunt, and while he hasn’t spoken to Meghan since her engagement announcement, he’s still holding out hope for a last-minute invite.
“I am going to London,” Dooley told RadarOnline.com. “I don’t have an invite for the wedding, but I’m going to enjoy the day and take in the sights.”
Before marrying Doria, Meghan’s dad was married to Roslyn Markle, who exclusively told RadarOnline.com that she is “extremely happy for Meghan and Harry” and wishes them a “blessed, happy life.”
The same can’t be said for Roslyn’s daughter, and Meghan’s estranged half-sister, Samantha, 53, who went on a rampage against the soon-to-be royal, reportedly calling her “a shallow social climber” and claiming Harry’s clan “would be appalled by what she’s done to her own family.”
Samantha, who claims Meghan gave up on her after she disclosed her battle with multiple sclerosis, is even writing a tell-all book about her half-sis, called The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister.
And don’t forget about Meghan’s first husband, TV producer Trevor Engelson, whom she was married to from 2011 to 2013, and is now allegedly trying to make a profit on their divorce.
Engelson, 41, is currently working on a comedy about a woman who leaves her man for a British prince. The list of Meghan’s relatives rejected from the ceremony may outnumber the members she actually invited!
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