We’re officially taking this off our list of things we never thought we’d see in 2019 – five of Meghan Markle’s closest friends sitting down for an exclusive, tell-all interview with People in an effort to preserve the duchess’s public persona. Amid all of the negative backlash she’s endured — from the Kate Middleton feud to her dad Thomas Markle’s numerous accusations, Meghan’s BFFs are setting the record straight on all of the tabloid rumours.
Despite the Duchess of Sussex never speaking publicly about her father since entering royal life, her father has done the opposite. In various interviews and media appearances, Thomas Markle has claimed that he has no way to reach his daughter. Meghan’s best friends have now offered a very different perspective.
“He knows how to get in touch with her. Her telephone number hasn’t changed,” says a longtime friend. “He’s never called; he’s never texted. It’s super painful because Meg was always so dutiful. I think she will always feel genuinely devastated by what he’s done. And at the same time, because she’s a daughter, she has a lot of sympathy for him.”
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In the week before Meghan’s May 19 wedding to Prince Harry, Thomas decided not to attend after an arrangement with paparazzi to stage several photoshoots ahead of the big days was revealed.
Since then, Meghan’s half-sister Samantha, who claimed responsibility for arranging her father’s paparazzi photos before the wedding, has continued to speak critically of her to tabloids around the world.
After the paparazzi photos emerged, “Meg and Harry were still so focused on getting [Tom] to London,” says the close friend, one of five who spoke to People. “At no point was there talk of ‘Now that we know he lied, he’s in trouble.’ Tom wouldn’t take her calls, wouldn’t take Harry’s calls.
“The next morning when the car got there [to take him to the airport], he wouldn’t get in. [Later] Meg heard he had a heart attack and she’s calling and texting, even up to the night before the wedding. It was like, ‘Please pick up. I love you, and I’m scared.’ It was endless.”
“After the wedding she wrote him a letter. She’s like, ‘Dad, I’m so heartbroken. I love you. I have one father. Please stop victimizing me through the media so we can repair our relationship.’ Because every time her team has to come to her and fact-check something [he has said], it’s an arrow to the heart. He writes her a really long letter in return, and he closes it by requesting a photo op with her. And she feels like, ‘That’s the opposite of what I’m saying. I’m telling you I don’t want to communicate through the media, and you’re asking me to communicate through the media. Did you hear anything I said?’ It’s almost like they’re ships passing.”
Meghan’s friends also weighed in on the Duchess’ alleged feud with sister-in-law Kate. Apparently, the rumours are untrue and have “upset Meghan.”
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They added that they had even had the opportunity to visit the couple’s cottage. “We’ve all been to their cottage,” says one friend. “It’s small and she’s made it cozy, but the perception of their lifestyle and the reality are two different things. Meg cooks for herself and Harry every single day.”
“We had a couple of days together recently,” another pal from Los Angeles told the magazine. “Her husband was out of town on work. In the room she made up for me, there was candle lit by the bed, slippers and a robe. We were the only two in the house. It was our time. She made the most lovely meals. She made tea every day. It was raining and muddy outside, so the dogs got all dirty, and she’s wiping them off with towels. How much she loves her animals, how much she loves her friends, how much she loves feeding you, taking care of you — none of that has changed.”
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As to why they decided to speak out now, one friend said: “Meg has silently sat back and endured the lies and untruths. We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby. It’s wrong to put anyone under this level of emotional trauma, let alone when they’re pregnant.”
Another explains it’s their way to “stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about our friend.”
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