Prince Charles' friend calls Meghan Markle's dad a 'huge lump' and mocks her 'concrete' wedding dress
Everyone has that one family member or close friend that loves to make crude comments. The royal family is like any other family in this regard. They too have a friend of the family who had decided to take his very bold opinions and lay them into the public sphere. He seems to be taking a shot at Meghan Markle’s very own family.
Who is this he, you ask? He goes by the name of Nicky Haslam, and happens to be a 78-year-old old Etonian interior designer. He is the son of one of Queen Victoria’s goddaughters. He was friendly with Princess Diana and went to school with Prince Charles. He even sang for the Queen once. So, it’s safe to say that he is well acquainted with the royals.
But is Nicky really a friend of the family? He’s been openly attacking the Duchess of Sussex’s family and even took a shot at Meghan’s elegant wedding dress. The only person he decided to spare was Meghan’s mother. Apparently, she is the only one who doesn’t deserve to be called “common.”
Nicky truly believes that the absence of Meghan’s father and siblings at the wedding should be looked at as a gift rather than an unfortunate occurring. While talking about Meghan’s family, he told Daily Mail, “They're frightfully common. It would have been awful if that huge lump [Meghan's father] had been there. The royals probably don't quite know how to deal with them.”
But he did cut Meghan's mother Doria Ragland some slack. He said, “One person who wasn't common was her mother.” Meghan's father Thomas Markle could not attend the wedding as he had to undergo heart surgery just days after. He has also been seen staging photos for paparazzi.
Of course, his comments didn’t stop just at Meghan’s family. He decided to compare her Givenchy bridal gown by British designer Clare Waight Keller to a piece of concrete. He even provided his expert fashion advice on how the dress could have been saved. He said, “I didn't very much like her dress — it didn't fit, among other things. It should have been made of thinner stuff, it seemed to be made of concrete.”
Turns out, this is not the first time Nicky has made snarky comments about Meghan. Back in May, while speaking to The Times, the chap opened about his reservations about the whole ordeal that was the royal wedding. He said it was embarrassing to have such a giant event, considering Meghan’s first marriage ended in divorce.
He said, “To make this huge hoo-ha out of it is sort of embarrassing. I mean, she shouldn’t really wear white.” He even made a comment on the guest list saying that it was truly unfortunate that the royal cousins, who happened to be good friends of his, were not invited. He claimed the reason was Meghan’s insecurity. He said, “Ella [Windsor] and Lady Amelia are so ravishing, perhaps Meghan didn’t want to be outshone.”
Nicky even compared Meghan to Wallis Simpson who was once the Duchess of Windsor. Wallis’ wedding to King Edward VIII caused a constitutional crisis because she was a divorcee and at the time The Church of England did not permit divorcees to remarry if their ex-spouses were still alive. Their marriage resulted in the abdication of King Edward VIII. While comparing Meghan to Wallis, who happened to be a good friend of his, Nicky said, “I think she’s very forceful indeed. I don’t think the duchess was.” He even mentioned that it was his goddaughter Violet von Westenholz who introduced Prince Harry and Meghan.
In the interview, Nicky also discussed his addictive nature, while smoking Vogue cigarettes non-stop. He said, “I am sort of addictive, if you can say that. I don’t drink a lot, I don’t do that many drugs, I don’t pursue sex.”
Of course, at the beginning of the conversation, he did reveal his trick to maintaining exemplary vocals. It’s probably a good time to mention that Nicky is also a budding singer with his very own cabaret show. He has even released an album called Midnight Matinée back in 2013. It was a collaboration between him and a couple of his friends from the industry such as Bryan Ferry, Cilla Black, Tracey Emin and Rupert Everett.
Going back to Nicky’s peculiar vocal cord therapy, he says it’s all about smoking. He revealed, “My doctor and my singing teacher say smoking is good for the voice. All opera singers smoke, you know. Maria Callas smoked like a train.” He claims the phlegm lubricates one’s throat.
Nicky's successful career has also resulted in him having several celebrity pals. He has partied with Andy Warhol and Marilyn Monroe in New York, Vivien Leigh and Cecil Beaton in London, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich in Hollywood. The Time even wrote that “he has dedicated his life to partying.” But maybe he’s choosing to give up on that part of his life. He told The Times, “I don’t go to many big parties now. The noise is unbelievable. All the young men laugh so much, and the girls scream at each other.”