Meghan Markle’s half-brother speaks out after royal birth: ‘Maybe she will see the importance of family now’
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Just days after Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle, broke her silence, her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., is now speaking out for the first time since the Duchess of Sussex gave birth.
The former American actress and her husband, Britain’s Prince Harry, welcomed a bouncing baby boy name Archie Harrison Moutbatten-Windsor on May 6.
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“Congratulations — I’m very happy for you both and I hope this baby will bring you all the joy in the world,” the 53-year-old recently told U.K.’s The Sun.
Thomas Markle Jr. originally released an open letter slamming his famous sister. (Getty/MEGA Agency)
Thomas insisted that while he’s overjoyed to have a royal nephew, he is also hoping his famous sibling, 37, will finally make amends with her family.
“Hopefully this baby will help mend the family rift — we’d all love to meet the baby and become a part of his life — especially my dad,” he explained. “I’m hoping that becoming a mother will open her eyes and shed light on what family means. Maybe she will see the importance of family now — and open up to my dad and let him be a part of the baby’s life. Any baby who comes into a family — everyone in the family wants to see it. It’s a big deal. There’s not been a baby in our family for a while now — this is big news for us all.”
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Thomas also told the outlet that despite the public rift, Markle should allow the paternal side of the family to meet her newborn.
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry coo over Baby Sussex. The royal baby is their firstborn son. (Getty)
“She should let the family come over and meet the new baby,” he said. “Usually that’s what happens – everybody crowds into the hospital room to see the new addition to the family – we’d love that. I think everybody should be invited over to see the new baby. Hopefully, she won’t be unfair and withhold him from everybody — I hope she’ll reach out and make the baby a part of everybody’s life.”
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Thomas isn’t the only one to not get an invite to Frogmore Cottage. His father, former Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, is devastated over the possibility that he may never meet his grandson.
“We’ve talked about him quite a bit over the past few weeks and this is actually a really scary subject for him,” said Thomas. “If he were to think he’d never be a part of the baby’s life that would be horrible for him, it would really hurt his feelings a lot. It’s one of his biggest fears and he can’t understand it if goes that way. He’s hoping for her to open up her arms and unite and obviously he wants to be part of the baby’s life. Meghan is his favorite little girl and he’s treasured her from day one up until now — and he would treasure his grandchild.”
“I seriously hope she gets a hold of him and personally calls him herself and sends him pictures right off the bat,” he continued. “Hopefully she’ll be kind enough to do that because he’s been waiting for this day all through the pregnancy. If it wasn’t for my father she would not be here where she is today… She was a very fortunate child growing up and she is very fortunate now and she has my dad to thank for that. He dedicated every moment of his life to her — he deserves to be a part of the baby’s life.”
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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry debuted Baby Sussex, but didn't reveal the child's name. Their son was born on May 6.
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Thomas, who lives in Grant Pass, Ore., claimed he used to live with the former “Suits” star and their father in Los Angeles. Thomas also said that he is confident Markle would make a good mom, despite her celebrity status.
“If she applies the way she was brought up and all the love and affection she was shown — if she applies that to her own mothering skills I think she’ll be a good mom,” he explains. “I went back recently and did a little LA tour of our old house and stuff and it brought back lots of memories. Meghan had a really, really good childhood with a lot of love — even though the family was broken up and we ended up living apart, she still had a good sense of family and family values. She’ll be OK — I don’t think she’ll just pass the baby off to the nannies.”
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Right before Markle married Harry, 34, in May 2018, the elder sibling famously shared a handwritten letter to In Touch warning the royal that it’s “not too late” to stop the wedding, insisting she is a “jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.” Thomas has since said he “made a mistake” writing the scathing open letter.
Thomas Markle Jr.'s handwritten letter to Prince Harry. (In Touch)
Markle reportedly cut off her father after he was caught staging paparazzi photos leading up to her wedding. The patriarch has since spoken out about the royal family in numerous interviews. He did send his best wishes to the new parents after the baby’s birth.
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“I’m delighted to hear that mother and child are doing well,” Thomas said in a statement to The Mirror. “I am proud that my new grandson is born into the British royal family and I am sure that he will grow up to serve the crown and the people of Britain with grace, dignity and honor. God bless the child, and I wish him health and happiness, and my congratulations to my lovely daughter Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry, and God save the Queen.”
Thomas and Ragland, 62, were married from 1979 to 1987. He is also the father of Thomas Markle Jr. and Samantha with his first wife, Roslyn Markle.
Thomas Markle previously slammed Meghan Markle for ignoring him. (The Mega Agency)
Royal filmmaker Nick Bullen previously told Fox News that Markle’s relationship with the paternal side of her family may not heal anytime soon.
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Bullen is an executive producer who has been making programs about the British royal family for nearly 20 years and has worked closely with Harry's father, Prince Charles, for eight. Bullen has recently released two new films on True Royalty TV titled "Meghan Markle: Inside the Wardrobe of a Princess" and "Meghan Markle: Inside the Home of a Princess," documenting how the former "Suits" star has made her mark since officially becoming a member of the British royal family.
“I think the biggest question is what’s going to happen with the Markles,” said Bullen. “That to me is the biggest issue. William and Harry… things will ultimately resort itself…. But how can [the Markles] repair what they have done? That’s pretty tricky. Thomas and Samantha have both been speaking to the press nonstop. Meghan has even tried reaching out to her father. They’ve instead decided to make those letters public. I would say that’s far too tricky. We even interviewed Samantha recently for a program and her view is that this is not going to get fixed anytime soon. And as for Meghan and Harry, their focus is on baby Sussex. The Markles are certainly down the list.”