Thomas Markle has spoken out against his daughter Meghan’s Netflix show, questioning her claims about 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥hood struggles.
This image released by Netflix shows Meghan, Duchess of Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍, left, and Mindy Kaling in a scene from “With Love, Meghan.” (Netflix via AP)
Thomas Markle has voiced his disappointment over his daughter Meghan’s latest Netflix series, With Love, Meghan, calling it inauthentic and out of touch with reality. He particularly took issue with her decision to distance herself from the Markle name and her claims about growing up as a “latchkey kid,” according to the Dailymail..
’”In the series, Meghan shares her passion for jam-making, connecting it to memories of her grandmother, Doris, who passed away in 2011. She hopes her own 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, Archie and Lilibet, will associate the smell of slow-cooked fruit with coming home from school. However, her father believes his mother would not have approved of Meghan rejecting the Markle name.Thomas, who relocated to the Philippines earlier this year, has not watched the full show but has seen clips online. Based on what he has seen, he feels Meghan appears overly rehearsed.
“You have to be authentic to hold people’s attention,” he said.
“Unfortunately, Meghan has never been authentic. She has to think about everything. She’s not spontaneous. Everything she says is pre-planned and rehearsedMy mum loved Meghan very much but she would be so disappointed to hear that Meghan no longer wants to use the name ‘Markle.’ My mother was proud to be a Markle. So am I,” he said. “Meghan never had a problem with the Markle name until she met Prince Harry.” With sarcasm, he added, “Now I have to say, ‘I am Meghan Sus𝓈ℯ𝓍’s dad.’”
‘“You have to be authentic….’.”
Thomas also criticized Meghan’s cooking style in the show, calling her approach impractical for ordinary viewers. “Meghan should make affordable food and show people how to stretch their food budget,” he said, pointing out that she frequently uses expensive ingredients like edible flowers and elaborate fruit platters.
“I don’t think most people these days can afford to go out and spend $90 on fruit. She’s out of touch with normal people,” he said. “Sending kids off to school with edible flowers on their food is silly. Kids don’t like them, and if you put edible flowers in a kid’s lunchbox, they would probably get teased at school.”
The former Hollywood lighting director also dismissed Meghan’s claims that she grew up eating TV dinners and fast food, insisting that he provided a comfortable life for her.
“We occasionally ate TV dinners, which family doesn’t? But I was working two jobs, so money was never an issue. We would eat out at least three times a week and order in the rest of the time,” he said. He recalled frequently taking Meghan to high-end restaurants in Hollywood, including Musso & Frank, a historic eatery frequented by celebrities.
He also criticized her unconventional method of cooking spaghetti, where she adds raw pasta to a pan with vegetables and water instead of boiling it separately. “Who makes spaghetti that way? You always boil the water, then add the spaghetti. It’s the most basic thing,” he said.
Thomas has been estranged from Meghan since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which he missed due to health issues. Despite their fallout, he still recalls their last shared meal fondly. “Harry couldn’t make it, but we had a lovely time. Meghan and Doria cooked, and Meghan later posted a picture on Tig, which showed my hand and Doria’s hand on a gravy bowl. We shared a wonderful meal, and I left. I never saw Meghan or Doria again,” he said
As Netflix prepares to release a second season of With Love, Meghan, speculation remains about the future of Meghan and Harry’s multi-million dollar deal with the streaming giant. For Thomas, however, watching his daughter’s latest venture remains too painful. “I might sit down and watch it one day, but I’m not sure,” he said
