DM: Thomas Markle could always contact Meghan through Doria Ragland

Johnny Depp arriving at the Hotel Eden

The pattern for two months has been for Thomas Markle to give one or two interviews in a weekend, then for the British press to spend the next week analyzing what he said and writing thinkpieces about how the Duchess of Sussex is a terrible person for not engaging with someone hellbent on emotionally abusing her. Rinse and repeat. And we will be getting more repeats of this pattern unless the British press finally decides that it’s actually not worth it to pay Markle for his awful, toxic, abusive interviews. A source tells The Sun that it’s not like Meghan’s absence of communication with her father is something new, she’s had to deal with his toxic behavior all her life:

Thomas Markle recently claimed she had cut him off completely. But a source said: “Nothing could be further from the truth. His behaviour is something she has had to deal with for most of her adult life. There has been a long history of ‘dad disappointment’ with her life being splattered with upset because of her relationship with him. She isn’t shocked or surprised by his behaviour and dealt with it all with a lot of grace.”

[From The Sun]

Yeah. I can see that. As I’ve been saying for a while, Thomas’s behavior has caught the royals off-guard and the press off-guard, but Meghan was unsurprised. It’s not like he woke up one day a month before the wedding and decided to make her life a living hell. No, she’s been dealing with his bullsh-t for most of her life, but now Thomas has an entire press establishment riding shotgun to his abuse of his daughter. As for cutting off contact… well, the Daily Mail has an exclusive:

Meghan Markle will not speak to her father Thomas until he makes contact in a ‘respectful manner’ and stops airing his grievances in public, DailyMail.com has learned. The Duchess of Sussex, 37, has not spoken to Markle Sr since shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry in May. Since then, the 74-year-old has gone on to give a series of interviews in which he claimed Meghan would be better off ‘if I was dead’ and said he had been cut off by Kensington Palace and has no way of contacting his youngest daughter. But a close friend of the 37-year-old has now told DailyMail.com that Markle Sr does have a means of contacting Meghan – via her mother Doria Ragland, 62.

The couple, who divorced when their daughter was six, have remained in touch and, shortly before the royal wedding in May, Markle Sr was seen delivering pots of Mother’s Day flowers to his ex-wife’s home in Los Angeles, California.

‘The only reason Meghan hasn’t spoken to her father yet is because she’s yet to hear from him in a respectful manner,’ the source told DailyMail.com. ‘Thomas is speaking to the press more than he’s reached out and spoken to his own daughter. Despite Thomas’s claim that he has no way to reach Meghan, he knows that her mother Doria is in touch with her and Thomas knows how to reach Doria. If Thomas truly wanted to speak with Meghan, he could easily have sent a letter to her mother and asked her to pass it along. Unfortunately that wouldn’t sell papers or fit into his fabricated and salacious narrative.’

[From The Daily Mail]

This is part of Thomas’s gripe too, that Meghan is her mother’s daughter, that Doria was completely accepted by the Windsors because… she’s graceful and classy and hasn’t sold out her daughter at all. Thomas could contact Doria, but I suspect the minute he did that, it would be a lot of divorced-parents bulls–t and old petty grudges and new grudges too. Doria is probably not happy at all about the way her ex has been treating their daughter, and Thomas doesn’t want the guilt trip. So that’s why he hasn’t spoken to Doria and that’s why he’ll probably give another interview this weekend.

Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, The Sun.

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123 Responses to “DM: Thomas Markle could always contact Meghan through Doria Ragland”

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  1. Maya says:

    I am so sick of white men using the media to attack women.

    Trump, Thomas Markle, Brad Pitt etc – these are vile men who are the ones who committed mistakes. And yet, they have the media on their side and are using that to smear the women.

    • Alexandria says:

      Maya I really feel for Angelina because she had a crappy father figure and now her kids also seem to have the same fate. I really hope Harry treats Meghan right cos it seems the men in her life have disappointed her.

      • Maya says:

        Me too – never thought Brad will turn out to be like this and Angelina probably didn’t as well.

        Hopefully Harry isn’t like that and will take care of Meghan.

    • Masamf says:

      The British media needs to stop this already. There is a reason why Doria separated with Thomas Markle Sr. after just 2 years of their marriage and divorced him after 6. This man was and is still abusive, emotionally, verbally and probably physically. Why are the media now siccing him on poor Doria? He needs to stay away from BOTH his daughter and his ex-wife, they don’t owe him a thing and they shouldn’t communicate with him in any way shape or form. TM Sr. was living a recluse life before Meghan started dating prince Harry, there was minimal to no communication/contact between the 2 for most of Meghan’s adult life (which I think is the same case between TM Sr. and Doria) and he wasn’t whining about not speaking to either of them. When Meghan married Trevor, this POS never whined about not being in constant contact with her because he probably never perceived Trevor to be loaded. Now suddenly he can’t live with no communication with Meghan because of what reason exactly…….? I mean this has been the case for most of Meghan’s life, why is it so important thatch communicates with her NOW? C’mon now this is, once again, tabloids pushing and promoting for this being to continue with his abusive behavior towards these 2 women. Doria and Meghan BOTH need to file restraining orders against this being and his daughter Vonnie and also have lawyers send the BOTH of them “cease and desist harassment” letters and threaten them with legal action if they don’t comply. TM Sr. should never contact either of them in any way shape or form, he is capable of a lot of bad things and severing contact is the only way to go.

      • Morning Coffee says:

        It’s long past time for the Royals to use their clout and shut this down. Or play even dirtier, because we all know they can do that too.

      • IlsaLund says:

        Continued Dead silence from both Doria and Meghan is the best way to handle this. Heads high, no reaction and continue living their best lives while ignoring the trolls in the corner.

      • hershey says:

        Telling daily mail readers Thomas has had a way to reach Meghan all summer cuts his narrative to pieces.

        I think the story is likely true.

        But who cares!! They just shot a hole in Thomas’s narrative!! He had an address to send birthday cards to. Or a letter.

    • Jess says:

      So true, Maya. The media still loves these sexist storylines.

  2. Seraphina says:

    Goes back to what I said yesterday, this isn’t new behavior. It way be elevated behavior, but certainly not new.

    I would not say one word to him if I were Doria. This is a person who clearly should be negotiated with due to how much trauma and drama he continues to bring. When a toddler throws a temper tantrum one doesn’t give in, you ignore it. And I’m sure MM is thinking that although she isn’t surprised she may be taken aback that he is hell bent on sabotaging her happiness in a deliberate and mean spirited way.

  3. Lala11_7 says:

    Boy…Thomas’ behavior REALLY brings back not GOOD memories regarding my own Father…ain’t NO WAY Thomas wants to deal with Doria…HECK…he doesn’t even REALLY want to DEAL with Meghan…because DEALING with Doria or Meghan would involve WORK…AND ACCOUNTABILITY…and he’s not ABOUT that life…so he’d rather get cheap comfort from the public as he tries to climb on the cross next to Jaysus….

    • Skylark says:

      Absolutely. In any case, he’s clearly eaten up with rage, jealousy and resentment at the stark contrast between how he and Doria are viewed – which he probably blames her for! – so that alone would preclude any reaching out or contact with her.

      He’s such a pathetic specimen.

    • Mego says:

      I think you make an important point in that all of his interviews with the media have nothing whatsoever to do with any genuine desire to connect with Meghan. This is not his motivation at all. This is about him and being seen by the public in a sympathetic light. What amazes me is the number of people who don’t see this for what it truly is and think Meghan is neglecting him. It is very clear to me that TM doesn’t truly love Meghan and is actively trying to harm her. People like this exist and many of them are parents yet it seems so difficult for many to accept this reality.

    • hershey says:

      I don’t think the purpose of letting daily mail readers know he knows he can reach Meghan through Doria is about Doria dealing with him.

      It’s about blowing up his sob story off not being able to reach his daughter

  4. Lizabeth says:

    I have lots of sympathy for Meghan. And it is up to her how she handles this situation. But the idea of publicly telling TM to send a letter through Doria to contact Meghan makes no sense. For tons of reasons. If this “source close to Meghan” talking to DM is really KP, those folks really are clueless.

    • hershey says:

      I think she was letting everyone know he has always had the ability to reach her through her mom.

      Which tells daily mail readers his claims about her slamming doors shut is a load of lies.

      I happen to think it is true. But if it is a lie out out by PR, it’s pretty awesome PR

    • Tigerlily says:

      Why in the world would she want to put this on Doria? Makes no sense to me. I think the “friend” is a load of BS.

    • jwoolman says:

      It makes sense to me. He’s been in contact with her mother all along. If he has any worries about a letter not getting through the bureaucracy now, certainly sending it through her mother is an excellent idea. Her mother will always know where she is and how to get things to her. Her father’s contact with her has always been less frequent.

  5. Bri W. says:

    I hope Doria would say this:

    Doria: New phone who dis?

  6. Toot says:

    Exactly why I never felt bad for Thomas.

    Doria had the press in her face, just like Thomas, but she didn’t feel the need to engage and “change the narrative” on how she was viewed. Thomas was actually well hidden from the press until his brother and Tom Jr. sold his location out in Mexico.

    • Masamf says:

      Thomas Markle Sr. brother Thomas Markle Jr. are NOT to blame for TM Sr. behavior. Regardless of who revealed his whereabout, TM Sr. is the one that made the decision to engage with the media and trash his youngest daughter. You said Doria was hounded first but she didn’t engage and your comment is so on point. But that very standard bar height is the one that fits all, if it fits Doria it should fit Thomas Markle Sr. He should have made the decision NOT to engage but alas, his selfishness and narcissism left no room for him to consider anyone else’s feelings but his!!!!

    • hunter says:

      Doria has done everything exactly how I would want my mom to do.

      The way she was embraced by the Royals says a lot, they must have been watching her and screening her for quite some time. She seems like a very caring and practical woman. And a good mom.

  7. Swack says:

    Doria should not be the go between for Meghan and her father. Anything she says or does will give him more fodder for the press and it will not be pretty. Markle needs to STFU and stay away from the press as the first step if he ever wants to have a relationship with his daughter and future grandchildren.

  8. minx says:

    I can’t see him calling Doria.

    • My Hiddles says:

      Of course he won’t, but the fact remains he could if he really wanted contact with his daughter. Score 1 for Meghan for a great PR hit.

  9. OzJennifer says:

    I don’t believe, even for a moment, that anyone connected to the RF would EVER speak to the Daily Mail. They just make this crap up and credit a “source”.

    • minx says:

      Oh, I know. It’s just fiction.

      • CMiddy says:

        I suggest you read “The Diana Chronicles” by Tina Brown. Diana had the DM on speed dial.

      • Masamf says:

        We are not talking about Diana though, she hasn’t been a BRF member for 20+ years (well she’s been dead 20+ years) and referencing what she could or couldn’t do is not applicable in this case..

    • hershey says:

      Meghan knows her Dad has established connections there. They pick the outlet to suit the job that needs done

  10. Missy says:

    My favourite Thomas markle quote…”I felt like I was being blamed for my own mistakes.” This tells me everything I need to know about this vile man

  11. Ides of March says:

    I wouldn’t respond to him at all, Doria! Can you imagine how quickly we’d be reading about every detail?

  12. Zapp Brannigan says:

    So who had the big idea to put Doria in the middle of the TM clusterfu$k? All we will see now is the parental alienation playlist rolled out and Doria does not have the level of protection Meghan does.

    • Lizabeth says:

      Exactly @Zapp B. I hope it’s just DM making things up for clicks. If this is palace strategy, more trouble ahead I expect.

      • Zapp Brannigan says:

        They will leave Doria very vulnerable to being doorstepped by the press and if she reacts she is “angry black woman” in Compton like the Daily Mail wrote.

        They have put a great big target on her. If smart they will use this as an excuse to house her in one of the palaces for “safety” (bonus points for further annoying TM)

    • jwoolman says:

      Zapp — her mother has always been in routine contact with her father. It isn’t any big deal for her to act as a go-between now for written communications especially. There are a lot of people handling her mail now and I can understand if there would be concern that his letters wouldn’t get through. But sending it through his ex-wife, who already is in contact with him and his daughter, is really not at all bizarre. Her mother always knows how to contact her. She probably told her father long ago to just ask her mother if he had any problem getting through.

      This really is not an uncommon arrangement for families with divorced parents in particular, especially if the child is much closer to one parent and unlikely to keep the other parent informed in detail. My father once sent a note to me through my brother, with whom he had occasional contact. He did not have recent contact with me and didn’t know my address. So my brother just stuck it in an envelope and mailed it off to me.

  13. RBC says:

    So after the way Thomas has been speaking about Meghan in the press, why on earth would Doria want to hear from him or help mend fences with their daughter?
    Before contacting Doria he should stop with the interviews and rein in his other children. Maybe then it would prove he wants to mend fences with Meghan

    • hershey says:

      A detached bridge is a technique used to help a child maintain a connection to an abusive parent.

      It is never done for the purpose of helping the abuser. It is used for the benefit of a child or adult child. It can protect the child from damage but allow that child, usually an adult child, to maintain a connection of some sort. It prevents the need to suffer a complete loss for the child.

      It doesn’t always work. I suspect Thomas grabbed the bullhorn the press gave him as a way to get around the filter Meghan uses when his behavior needs to be contained.

  14. Becks1 says:

    Of course this has been going on Meghan’s whole life. She didn’t suddenly stop talking to him when she got engaged to Harry. She probably talks to him, visits him, and then remembers why its better to stay away. Rinse, repeat for years. so much is made of the fact that Thomas hasn’t met Harry but…..there is obviously a very good reason for that.

    As for going through Doria – I can believe someone suggested that who is NOT associated with KP or a friend of Meghan (i.e. the Mail just thought they would put it in there as a “suggestion” for Meghan). But I cant imagine that Meghan would want to involve her mother in this whole mess any more than she already is.

    • hershey says:

      Doria is a mental health professional. She knows knows that a detached person acting as a bridge and filter is a technique that can be effective in helping a grown child maintain a connection to an abusive parent.

  15. Melania says:

    Doria, change your phone number.
    If Thomas behaves this way with his daughter I dare not imagine what kind of husband he was. He’s so awful.

  16. Digital Unicorn says:

    There is no way in all 7 hells that Evil Papa Smurf would go to Doria for access to Meghan – he’d rather die from a McDonalds overdose first. He would rather choke on a big Mac than beg Doria for access or allow her/Meghan/the RF to control the situation.

    Plus I don’t think Doria wants to get involved, this is between Evil Papa Smurf and Meghan.

    • hershey says:

      A detached parent or relative acting as a buffer is a technique used to help a child maintain a connection to a narcissistic parent.
      Even an adult child.

      It requires that the person acting as a filter be able to maintain appropriate boundaries in their interactions with the parent. Sometimes limits like letter writing need to be used.

      Sometimes a mental health professional is needed to act as a filter. But that is what Doria does for a living.

      She is not giving in to Thomas. She is helping her daughter maintain a connection to a loved parent while protecting her child from harm.

      • Lizabeth says:

        The source in the DM doesn’t suggest Doria mediate between TM and Meghan. Rather since TM has claimed he can’t get in touch with Meghan, the source suggested TM could write a letter to Meghan and send it along for Doria to “pass along” to Meghan. I personally doubt this strategy comes from Meghan. I can’t imagine she’d want to drag her mother into all of this. And the potential scenario—asking a 61 yr old woman to be the go-between for her 74 yr old ex-husband and their 37 yr old married daughter– could make it an even bigger public family drama. Doria is a social worker but she’s not a disinterested observer in all of this. Just as doctors don’t treat their own family members (except for minor first aid type stuff) therapists don’t treat family either.

      • hershey says:

        Doria acting as the bridge is not treating her daughter. You would be surprised at how often a therapist has their own family issues that they seek treatment for.

        The bridge does not normally mediate between the parties. They facilitate the flow of information so that the child can block or change phone and contact information.

        Sometimes the bridge only screens and forwards mail.

        Whatever Doria is doing behind the scenes, putting it out there for daily mail readers that Thomas has an open communication channel wrecks his story.

      • Lizabeth says:

        A mother who is “fiercely loyal” to her daughter is a wonderful thing to have but that doesn’t make her a “detached” party in this kind of situation. It doesn’t matter what sort of professional training she’s had.

        Any kind of mental health training (swk, coun, psyc) emphasizes the need to feel AND exhibit empathy for clients even when their behavior is personally distasteful. That doesn’t mean that after training mental health workers operate in a “detached” manner in their own family situations or always feel empathy for family regardless of their behavior. (As you say, mental health workers do often have their own issues.) And in this particular situation, TM has bad-mouthed Meghan AND Doria. I can’t imagine she feels emotionally detached. Further, for a relative to act as an effective “bridge” both parties would to be able trust the bridge as being unbiased. There’s no reason to think Doria is unbiased (nor should she be as a loyal mother to her daughter.) I can’t see this ever working with Doria as the bridge. And to the extent the public is thinking about it, I doubt most people would think he should go through his ex-wife to talk to his adult daughter.

      • hershey says:

        @lizbeth,

        A bridge is a technique used, when appropriate. Sometimes the bridge only serves as a mailing address so the the adult child can keep their address private from the parent. Sometimes the communication is more open. It depends on the situation.

        This is a real method used in family therapy settings, when appropriate. Sometimes the better choice is to disconnect entirely.

        I have no way of knowing if this what Doria is doing. I am guessing based on experience. But even if i am wrong, it’s still great PR.

        And you are correct that often the parent is not a party that can serve as a bridge. They often have been abused themselves. They are not detached from their child’s pain. Often another less close relative or a therapist serves as a bridge.

        A parent that is able, often helps in a desire to help their child maintain a safe way to receive mail or maintain contact in event of an emergency such as illness

      • jwoolman says:

        Hershey — Exactly. I didn’t want my peculiar father to have my address in case he decided to arrive drunk on my doorstep. I was a lot smaller than him and the only human in the house…. The cats aren’t as good at being attack cats as I try to imply.

        So I told my brother (who was trying to have some relationship with the guy) to not give any of my contact information to dear old dad or his family, but to feel free to pass along any messages if needed. If I felt like responding, I would use him as the intermediary for that also. It kept dear old dad at a safe distance, although if he ever learned how to google then I would be in trouble since my professional info was out there. (He didn’t, thankfully.)

        If you have a less dysfunctional family, you might not be able to imagine how convoluted it can get. When I was a child, dad would show up tipsy maybe once a year and it was very disturbing. I decided enough was enough by the time I was 13 or 14 and felt no more obligation to deal with him (an excellent decision). My brother did not feel the same way, so he became intermediary if required. Fortunately, with dad it was mostly out of sight out of mind for both of us.

  17. Missy says:

    The media is making this a bigger deal than it is. I’m sure majority of the public do not care about the Markles. We all have family drama, and the royals have their own share of scandal. The Daily Mail is obsessed with the new Duchess, and the Royal Reporters are coming off as stalkers with an insane fixation. Meghan is not the head of the monarchy, so why are there so many articles about someone with so little power?

    • D says:

      Hahahah shes obviously got a TON aid power that’s why they’re writing and just because you may be fine being treated like crap she’s not! Wonderful example of loving ones self. She’s Royalty now no need to bother with lowlifes

      • Lady D says:

        I don’t think that’s what Missy meant. Nowhere did she say she is okay with her or Meghan being abused. She also had a valid point in that Meghan is married to the 6th in line to the throne. She probably doesn’t have a lot of pull or power in that family, yet. Her opinion might be taken into consideration but that’s probably as far as it goes for now.

    • Suzanne says:

      I’m British and no one I know is the least bit interested in the Royals and certainly not in this dreadful man. It’s not something that is on people’s radar – I read this site so that’s how I’m aware. Besides we have the ‘car crash’ that is Brexit to worry about!

      • hershey says:

        I only had interest in Meghans prewedding clothing until the drama the week before the wedding. The family dynamics her dad put on display happen, but not very often.

        I have been rooting for her since the dad’s second TMZ statement.

        Her statement about Doria being a contact point was smart PR. And I think likely true.

        Think this situation is going to wrap up pretty soon. I predict Meghan will deal with her Dad like she did yesterday. I predict some sort of legal action in the US against sister Samantha.

      • magnoliarose says:

        My Brit family and friends care very little about them. I don’t really know anyone in life who is a royal watcher and like you, I only actively paid any attention because of being here. They will make casual observations and have opinions but aren’t invested in them all. Once in a while, they may something negative about the monarchy or something but overall not much.

  18. Capepopsie says:

    Just ignore the man, he is not worth the attention he is getting!

  19. IlsaLund says:

    Raise your hands if you saw this one coming. This is just the DM’s way of cycling back and trying to include Doria in this clusterfuck. They’ve had it out for Doria and Meghan since day one and now they can throw shade and attack Doria for not helping poor Thomas contact his daughter who he is emotionally abusing in front of the whole world. As if Doria, would help him continue to abuse Meghan.

    • hershey says:

      What daily mail put out yesterday takes the wind out everything Thomas has been saying for months about his daughter all summer.

      Parents, relatives or therapists occasionally act as a bridge between a destructive parent and child. It is hard to find a parent with a strong enough personality to serve as that bridge. But Doria is not an average parent.

      Stories ran constantly last week that friends speaking to the press would be cut out. I think Meghans office was letting her family know she would be putting her own words out.

      I say that because letting the world know her dad has had a channel of communication with the other parent is PR genius. It is also likely true.

      Doria has been fiercely loyal to her daughter. I speak from personal experience about how fiercely a mother will protect a daughter from abuse as well as protect a child from total loss of a parent.

      • Henny says:

        Yes. I completely agree with your assessment of this situation. I think this situation is well understood by the parties involved even though it’s obviously a bigger challenge when there’s high stakes involving the Royal PR apparatus, but Meghan and Doria are very competent and experienced dealing with this family issue.

        Which is not to say it’s not painful; it must be enormously painful, but I get the sense they can handle it. I just hope the tabloids and gossip press don’t back them into a corner so that she feels pressured to make decisions she thinks the public expects.

  20. Pokello says:

    It will take a long time for Meghan to forgive her father cause of the way him and his older evil children have made her life a living hell,I know I would do the same if I was her,they are not a good family, but I think her mother’s side of the family is good

  21. hershey says:

    Calculated omission by Thomas. Sounds like his attempts to reach her were not exactly messages of love from an adoring daddy.

    Everyone now knows he can get in touch with Doria anytime. Meghan having mom as a buffer is reasonable as long as mom is up for it.

    And he really can’t keep crying in the papers that he can’t reach her.

    Putting her side out is one way to handle this. And she has done an incredible job.

    She shot down his claims about being cut off.

    Anyone can now ask him, why not call Doria?

    And she stayed on the high road. No name calling. No overblown pleas for sympathy. When her friend said she had the tools to deal with emotional blackmail, she was right. This lady has the tools to get the job done.

    She is choosing to not let this guy make her a victim. Her boundaries are firm and she is going to solve this problem without letting go of them.

    After thinking about this for a few days, my gut came to the conclusion that Meghan herself was the person who could best fix this.

    Way to go Meghan

    • Ardnamurchan says:

      Interesting take, Hershey. I hope you’re right.
      Sadly, it sounds as though you speak from experience. I hope it all worked/is working out for you.

      • hershey says:

        Some personal. So I know first hand it is possible to not let someone like Thomas take your life.

        I work with kids and parents. It is work I love.

        Have been rooting for Meghan since the week before the wedding. After yesterday, now have a lot of hope she is going to be ok.

        Thomas’s behavior is flaming ugly. But it looks like his daughter is strong and her mother is probably is a safe pair of hands in this situation. At the end of the day, the saddest part of this story will be her dad. And the other two kids who were exposed to him.

    • Avery says:

      I am in the middle of this now. My ex is a narc with some anti-social tendencies. I am in the middle of protecting my daughter from his blame game, also guilt/shaming. She is a beautiful sweet girl and unfortunately he has visitation rights. I feel for Doria. It is so hard to see this happening to your child. MM is an adult but it still hurts.

      • hershey says:

        Getting a therapist to help is not a magic pill that will make it all good.

        But a therapist that has experience with personality disorders and their family members can be a huge help in getting you and your child safely through.

        I posted my take on some thoughts on why people like Thomas do what they do farther down.

        Usually the saddest part of the story is the disordered individual because they rarely get help so they stay trapped.

        My best wishes for you. I root for all who are affected by a disordered family member.

  22. Nina says:

    Clearly her father has issues. Most people’s families have issues. At the same time, I think Meghan Markle is not exactly Saint Meghan either. I have read some pretty nasty things on here about Kate and honestly Meghan Markle strikes me as a pretty adept social climber as well. They both have landed where they are by playing the game well.

    • Alisha says:

      @Nina I honestly do not see the parallel here. Kate, for all intents and purposes, was groomed at a fairly young age for the royal life. Her parents sent her to the same schools as William and they hung around the same crowd.

      Meghan was a Hollywood actress but not considered A-list by any means, she worked on game shows and other minor projects before landing a (not starring) role on a network cable show. That is literally the path that many aspiring actors take, I doubt any of them (or she) thought in a million years it would lead to royal life! It certainly isn’t the usual path to royal life, that is for sure. And it is natural of course that she would meet contacts and make friends and immerse herself in that world, one of them happened to lead to Harry. So I do not see how this makes her a social climber.

      • Ardnamurchan says:

        Seconded, Alisha.
        When did being ambitious, studying and working hard to build a great career and life for yourself become ‘social climbing’?
        So she met and married a prince? Does anyone seriously think given the way those two look at each other that she didn’t marry for love?

    • WingKingdom says:

      Meghan doesn’t have to be a saint for us to sympathize with her. She is human and that is enough. None of us are saints. Are we therefore undeserving of compassion?

      Also, what is so wrong with being a “social climber”? Is that some kind of crime? I don’t care what people’s ambitions are, as long as they don’t hurt anyone else. I just don’t understand this term as an insult.

    • Bella DuPont says:

      This sort of thinking, right here in this comment by @Nina…..is exactly the reason most of society is folding its arms watching quietly while Thomas Markle abuses his daughter in plain sight, for the whole world to see.

      Some people are even choosing to (metaphorically) help hold her firmly in place, to make sure his blows land as efficiently as possible.

      I personally find it sickening, but good luck to you. To each their own.

    • Avery says:

      So you have to be a saint not to be bullied and abused? ok.

    • Bella DuPont says:

      wrong post

    • Mego says:

      “Most people’s families have issues” – said in an abusive relationsip, encourages the victim to put up with abuse. “Meghan is no saint” where is the evidence that she is an abusive person other than accounts from her abusive Markle relatives? From what I have seen she is a kind and compassionate person who has very warm relationships with her mother, members of the royal family and countless friends who love her dearly. She clearly adores Harry and treats him like gold. I think she is pretty great actually.

      • Sharon Lea says:

        If she was thirsty, there are a lot of sugar daddys in the entertainment biz, she would have landed one in her 20s, but did not.

  23. D says:

    So who’s the trashy low life’s in america?! Yeah racists this must hurt. Too bad. What’s funny is acting like Mr. Markle is some unicorn horribleness. Looks like a ton of white racist dude bros I’ve known my whole life bucha entitled narcissists . So while we have a racist president and base we also have the world seeing classy people of color. So there’s that. Thanks Markles. People are people and how they act determines their class not their color. Played out period.

  24. Leigh-Klein says:

    And how many times has he said this is going to be his last interview?

  25. SlightlyAnonny says:

    He makes me screechy. The Mother’s Day flower delivery was a staged photo op arranged by TM not his normal behavior (well the narcissism is normal). The paps lingered to take a photo of Doria looking at the flowers and her face was not pleased.

  26. hershey says:

    I think the tide is going to turn with the information Meghan just put out. She used the Daily Mail to do it. If he and Daily Mail put out another load of i can’t reach her wailing, it is not going to sound quite the same.

    And she can follow up with the same dignified response. She may have to put a bit more of her story about the period before the wedding. I have no doubt the woman could write a crazy filled book about her dealings with dad.

    I think at some point soon media outlets will find Thomas too stinky to keep interviewing. The claim he had utterly lost his daughter was stupid but apparently newsworthy enough for reuters to report on him Monday.

    The real story is his calls are not being answered by palace aides. He has always been able to reach out to his ex wife concerning their child. It is sad he cannot call his daughter directly. But he has beyond a doubt lost that privilege.

    He is beyond lucky Doria is there to keep that bridge open. Her willingness to do this protects her daughter from Thomass destructive behaviors as well as protects Meghan from the pain of fully cutting ties with her father.

    Perhaps Thomas will change his ways and stop giving interviews. But the ball is now in his court to do so. In the meantime, the public know he can get in touch with Meghan through Doria.

  27. hershey says:

    Doria has been divorced from him for decades. His ability to hurt her is far less that his ability to hurt a daughter that loves him.

    She is a clinical social worker. She knows what she is doing. She has the professional ability to put boundaries on his communication with her.

    She is probably acting as a buffer for her daughter’s sake. Cutting off a parent completely sometimes needs to happen for the child to be healthy.

    But the severing always hurts deeply. Even after the initial pain fades, the empty chair continues to be there. It would seem Thomas has been a bit of an empty chair already, but mom is sparing her daughter the pain of cutting him off completely.

    She earned those flowers Thomas made such a show of delivering.

  28. ocjulia says:

    Doria is stunningly beautiful. Just…breathtakingly beautiful.

  29. DizzyLizzy says:

    This story is bullshyte and just more drivel from the tabloids.

    Read between the lines. The tabs want Doria’s number. It’s very clear that anyone in close proximity to Meg changed their number after she also cut off her lines.

    They had Meg’s number before via Snr who stupidly gave it to Scammy.

    That number is now defunct so they have no access to Meg.

    So some bright spark thinks – ahh let’s get Doria’s number and hack that number instead, especially as she trusts her mother far more so there is a chance for a greater degree of disclosure.

    TM can keep whistling, he isn’t going to get Doria’s number any time soon.

    • hershey says:

      Even if it is not true, it is the perfect response to Thomas by Meghan.

      She let daily mail know her dad has had a way to contact her all summer.

      She wrecked his story. Him saying she cut him off was making her look bad.

      All she said was he wasn’t shut out, he is lying.

      Doria has a personal protection officer to manage all access to her. All her mail goes to her through a secure channel. Her phone is encrypted. And any breaches of her contact info would be dealt with by security. She was put under the royal security umbrella the same day Meghan announced her engagement or before.

  30. Other Renee says:

    Of course Meghan doesn’t want to talk to him. He would record and then sell the conversations. We all know that.

    Looking back, if he wanted to feel important, why didn’t he just get on a plane and go to the wedding? There was no heart attack or any other kind of illness preventing him from doing so. He could have had his moment of being semi connected to royalty. Maybe Spiteful Samantha manipulated him and convinced him not to go

    • Greta says:

      „Looking back, if he wanted to feel important, why didn’t he just get on a plane and go to the wedding?“…. Because that kind of attention wouldn’t have cut it for a narcissist. Narcs not only need attention they need the deep sense of control. Being a “normal” father of the bride and being in a picture with her and the rest of the family doesn’t do the trick for people like him. Everyone else would’ve been proud as … to be in a picture with the Queen, but that’s not enough for a Narc. Because for a Narc not even the Queen is more important than him/her.

      • hershey says:

        I think he had an issue or issues that he needed to deal with to be able to get on the plane.

        He may not have felt that some part of himself was up to the scrutiny of that wedding. I am not defending Thomas, but many would find a family gathering with the queen a stressful prospect.

        Doria arrived glowing, fit, impeccably dressed. Prewedding Doria, she looks like a healthy competent woman in her everyday life.

        Thomas obviously didn’t pull himself together. His appearance in the press was of a sad, bumbling fool who was not up to that wedding. His own fault. He called TMZ on himself.

        Afterword, I think he had an unhealthy need to correct that impression. It didn’t work. His desperate attempts to get the world to see him as the important father of the bride were scoffed at because he was the same bumbling guy that didn’t make the wedding.

        He wanted respect from the public. He wanted the public to be impressed by his ability to talk politics with Harry. He wanted us to be impressed by how much help Harry and Meghan offered him. He wanted to get the world to believe he was such an amazing man he didn’t need palace help. He wanted all to know he is his own man, stronger than the palace.

        When he didn’t get respect, he decided sympathy was the next best thing. For that he needed to be a victim.

        His first attempts at that didn’t target Meghan as directly. But eventually he was complelled by his own need to bolster his image to attack his child.

        A choice had to be made. Find a way for the public to not see him as an object of scorn or send his daughter an apology letter.

        Sure, money played a part. But he wanted attention. Probably so that he could try to get us to see him as a dad important enough to command respect. Sadly, the only person who’s opinion he should have worried in this situation was meghans. And he blew that good.

      • hershey says:

        Should have added it is healthy for anyone to care about their image. That’s why we don’t schlep around the grocery store in a ratty bathrobe.

        Thomas’s appearance the week before the wedding was sad. It is understandable he wanted change how others saw him.

        But his first priority should have been his relationship with his daughter. He cared more about the way the public saw him than about his child.

        That deep seated need to maintain an appearance to others and more importantly to himself, at any cost, is where it gets unhealthy.

        He could have chosen to take better care of himself and change bad habits. He could have spent a year quietly doing that and wowed the world with the new Thomas at his grandchilds christening.

      • Henny says:

        @hershey. Exactly. That’s the way I see it too. The whole situation is so sad and pointless, but also inevitable. It’s not surprising that the public is reacting so negatively to him, but it seems a little misguided when it’s coming from fans who clearly adore MM but don’t seem to realize their vitriol against her father is probably not helping her in any real way.

        She has explicitly asked for compassion and understanding. Dealing with a toxic parent is complicated and challenging but she obviously feels a lot of love for him despite it all. Maybe she’ll sever all ties with him and feel great about it, but she may wish to have some relationship with him in the future and that’s ok too.

      • hershey says:

        @henny

        Well said!

        You will be a clearsighted and caring support to any friend or loved one that needs your help in the future.

    • Ardnamurchan says:

      He’s told us why, hasn’t he? In the most recent interview.
      He demanded to give a speech at the wedding and spat the dummy when Meghan told him he couldn’t.
      Like the true narcissist he is, he’s genuinely affronted that his daughter didn’t arrange her wedding around his needs, so he took his bat and ball and stayed home.

  31. Aerohead21 says:

    I hate when grown ups act like this. They should be mature enough to know this, but it seems the older I get the more I realize some people just don’t learn and/accept maturity as a way for managing relationships. Absolutely true: it doesn’t fit the salacious narrative. To be mature would mean to accept fault. For some, it’s never their fault.

  32. Vinot says:

    That first picture of him is what I look like in the morning after I take an Ambien

  33. Jane Doe says:

    I just want to point out that everyone seems to think it’s okay to ask this Black woman to engage with her abusive malignant narcissist ex-husband. She is allowed to have boundaries too.

    • hershey says:

      Information out yesterday was Thomas has had a connection to Meghan through Doria. Not that she is being asked to.

      Your instincts about not putting another human being in an abusive situation are healthy!

      Sometimes a third party will be used in family therapy to maintain a safe connection to an adult child. Often they just receive mail so the child can keep their address private from their parent.

      If this what Doria is doing for Doria, it is likely being done in a way that maintain boundaries for Doria.

      Or the story might just be PR to undercut Thomas’s story. My guess is it true.

      • Feeshalori says:

        Genuine question: Does a person acting as a detached bridge vet letters from the abusive party to the other person? I’m sure those letters would remain sealed but there’s no guarantee that Thomas won’t be verbally abusive in his letters to Meghan via Doria. I’m sure in that case, Doria won’t act as a liaison anymore and Meghan will slam the door on that. The avenue of communication can always be KP since TM knows his letters can get to Meghan as well and if he is respectful to her, she might answer him. The problem with using Doria is that they have their own history and he could very well accuse her of not forwarding any of his letters since he’s demonstrated what a spiteful vengeful man he is.

      • hershey says:

        It depends on who is acting as the bridge. If they are vetting mail they need to be detached enough to not be harmed by reading the letter. To not be angered by it. To not have an emotional response that would tempt them to respond in any way but to file or trash the letter.

        Which is why parents are not often the best person to do this.

      • hershey says:

        And any letters delivered to KP would likely reach her if he put his name on them.

        I am pretty certain Meghan and Doria have and will continue to deal with Thomas in a way that works for them both.

        They seem to have been dealing with this way back before she had palace staff. But a palace does give her more choices.

      • Feeshalori says:

        Thank you. I feel Doria is too close to the situation and should remain apart from this. It’s so hard as a parent to remain emotionally detached from seeing your child so abused and bullied. I’m sure both women have loads of experience dealing with him when he goes off the rails, unfortunately TM’s despicable behavior and tactics are being aired out on the world stage and the playing field has drastically changed. I really feel at this point they need an impartial party to act as that bridge and he can send all the letters he wants to Meghan via this person at KP. Whether she answers them or not is up to him in his manner and approach to her.

      • hershey says:

        @feelshalori

        Usually a parent is too close to the situation to help as a bridge.

        But not always. The adult child needs to be able to trust the person helping bridge communication for them. They need to trust that the person receiving the mail won’t be angered enough to need to blow off steam talking about it. Or be triggered into lashing out and engaging with the abuser.

        Not many people can or want to do this. Sometimes a therapist does this or helps do it. It is rare for a parent to do this.

        And when I say child, I am referring almost always to an adult child. When a child is not grown, and has been properly identified as needing protection from an abusive parent, deciding if a connection should be maintained is not as simple as helping keep a line of communication open.

        Obviously, when setting up a way to keep some connection in a troubled parent child relationship all parties need to be protected from abuse. It is never ok to set something up that would cause harm to anyone.

        And the only reason to facilitate communication if the adult child desires it. It is not done for the benefit of the abuser. And a bridge should never be forced on a person that wants to sever contact.

        Severing ties with a parent is always a loss. But it is sometimes necessary. It often brings relief. Anyone, famous or not, that is needing to consider cutting ties is in a very painful place. It is never easy to just change a phone number and ignore them. Might be necessary, but it hurts. Sometimes as much or more than the parent dying.

        Supporting a family member or friend going through this is so important. And giving them the gift of unconditional support for any choice they make is the best way to support to do that. For an adult, children are a different situation.

  34. Joannie says:

    I haven’t read anything other than the headline. I just came to say these kinds of threads are becoming so boring. What more can be said? All its doing is keeping this story alive. I’m sure the duchess will figure out. I cannot imagine how utterly humiliating this must be for her and the RF.

    • hershey says:

      I think his behavior is a trigger for some who have experienced something similar in their own lives. It is rare this plays out so publicly. I have been interested in what people say in these threads.

      I don’t have much more to say. Hopefully for Meghan, this starts to die in the press and they go back to reporting on harmless things like her clothes.

  35. Cora says:

    I rarely post on gossip sites, i don’t even have an avatar lol. I like this one because the articles are a smarter than other sites. I had to open an account recently in the DM though, just to counteract a bit of all the hate towards Meghan. More than 4 thousand comments in one article! Have you read the comments? Its vicious, i feel so bad for her.

    • hershey says:

      @Cora,

      I have seen those comments! I have never posted anywhere but here. And have only posted for a few days.

      I think the daily mail is not moderated? And there are definitely posters looking for a place to abuse others on that site.

      There seem to be lots of people posting because they have an interest in Meghan or British royalty.

      But there are people with not nice views at all. And I suspect some of those posters are not interested in much but bullying.

      This group here are respectful and tolerant of differing view points.

      Don’t spend too much time over at DM!! If you start feeling bad, take care of you! Take a break or post over here : )

      • Cora says:

        I do feel so bad for her, i am embarrased in her behalf. She hasnt done anything to reserve thousands of comments slandering her and wishing her to suffer. It is crazy. Not even Camilla had this.

    • Anna nuttall says:

      Do also bare in mind a lot of DM commenters are on the payroll or at least involved in someway with the DM. They often get their own people to comment to influence people opinions.

      Additionally, when i did an intern with the DM a few years ago, it really strikes me how many people at the DM office don’t read the DM online.

      • Princessk says:

        A lot of people who work for the Daily Mail are embarrassed by DM online, but it is a money spinner.

    • Feeshalori says:

      Maybe it’ll feature window tailoring for public view.

    • hershey says:

      @D and digital unicorn

      Thanks for super funny posts. Humor brightens any situation. And why would anyone choose to try to market clothing with his name on? Not a strong area for him.

      I’m with digital unicorn, partnering with McDonald’s is his way forward.

    • hershey says:

      Thomas just trashed all three of his kids in the mirror. He claims not to have received a dime from any of his children since he retired.

      Trashing one child did not earn him enough sympathy. So now it is all three of his kids.

      The behavior of the older two is hateful. But they are the way they are for a reason. Meghan is an obvious victim. But the other two were damaged by this man as well.

      All three of his kids under the bus so the public will see him in a sympathetic light.

      • DizzyLizzy says:

        I wonder if he is thrashing all three co-incides with the rumour that Scammy could still be going into the BB house as a surprise guest tonight ?

  36. Digital Unicorn says:

    With regards to CBB here in the UK, the Fail is reporting that the mystery houseguest is refusing to sign HIS contract, so its not Scammy but could it be Daddy Dearest – he’d totally pull a stunt like that. The theme is ‘Eye of the Storm’ so they’ve gone for celebs who’ve been in the middle of media ‘storms’ and he totally fits that bill.

    I’m calling that its Evil Papa Smurf!!! This would be the ULTIMATE narcissistic stunt for someone so obsessed with how the British public view him.

    Also he apparently launching his own clothing line – will it be a colab with McDonalds? ‘How to look chic and stylish when lunching at your favourite fast food outlet’.

    • hershey says:

      I do not care at all for Fox news. But over here in the states it is not a tabloid. It is often offensive, but mainstream.

      How and why would Thomas Markles clothes line deal make the front page news!!?? At Fox?? Royal family itself not covered much by Fox. So crazy.

      And yes, I was careful and did not click on links

    • Peg says:

      @ Digital Unicorn
      Or Kentucky Fried Chicken. Clothes with the stains already, you don’t have to worry if you spill.
      Daddy dearest, needs to earn money, his girlfriend in Mexico did a runner with the first paycheck from the dailymail.
      It would be great if he went on CBB, one of the other loser should try to get under his skin and he will lose his cool.

      • Digital Unicorn says:

        If he goes on he won’t like that Stormy will get all the attention plus its been leaked she’s getting paid the highest ever a contestant has been.

        Really – haven’t read anything about his gf doing a runner with his money. If true – Karma baby.

  37. Patty says:

    He’s so gross and disgusting, and shame on the media. Their giving him a free and unchecked platform to harass and abuse another person. I don’t see why people think this is okay simply because he provided sperm during conception.