Meghan Markle’s estranged family continues to be the source for a lot of drama in international media, but royal family aides contend that much of it could have been avoided had Prince Harry been a little more careful.
While Meghan’s half-brother called the Duchess of Sussex “cruel” and “selfish” for being cold to their dad, Thomas, her half-sister Samantha Grant has been getting increasingly vocal in her criticism of the royal family, even calling them “angry and twisted souls” over the weekend. But perhaps no criticism quite compares to what Thomas Markle himself has had to say about his daughter and the family she is married into, having made it a point to give out controversial interviews regularly to drive his point home.
His behavior has certainly not sat well with Meghan’s new family, but as of yet, they do not seem to have taken any measures to drown out Thomas Markle’s concerns — let alone actually addressing them on a personal level. That, a palace aide told Daily Mail’s royal reporter Richard Kay, has been a PR disaster on part of the royal family.
“The perception is that [Markle] was treated very much as an afterthought. No one went to visit him when the answer would have been to have someone fly out from London and explain to him how things were going to happen.”
The Palace Is Reportedly Considering an “Aggressive Strategy” for Dealing with Meghan Markle’s Father Thomas https://t.co/RDDFQZLqdl pic.twitter.com/Y0u8Hz51Mi
— Cosmopolitan (@Cosmopolitan) August 13, 2018
After Thomas Markle’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan in June, the royal family actually considered hiring a top PR specialist, but it didn’t materialize thanks to Prince Harry’s reluctance, reports InStyle . But a source claimed that it would have been better had he actually vetoed the decision.
“Prince Harry does not trust the media and he would never have supported that idea,” the source said. “Frankly, they should have been prepared to try anything by that stage.
The aide went on to say that the whole debacle, as much as it owes itself to the antics of Meghan’s family, would not have blown up had the royal family been more considerate in the weeks before the wedding.
“The trouble stemmed from well before the wedding when there must have been an opportunity for Harry and Meghan to pay a private visit to her father. This was long before he started giving interviews.
“I also think the Palace should have invited the whole Markle family; they wouldn’t all have come and it would made them feel included and less likely to make the negative comments they have been making.”
Another aide echoed these sentiments, saying that the only one who could end this PR disaster for the royal family now was Meghan herself — and that she would need to make a decision soon.
“It’s too late now for equerries or go-betweens to get to Mr. Markle, it’s up to Meghan. She clearly loves him enough to have wanted him at her wedding so she needs to go and spend time with him,” the aide said.
