Kate ‘couldn’t understand’ why Harry never met Meghan Markle’s dad and she was ‘embarrassed’ with family: Expert
Although Kate Middleton and Prince Harry might not have the most cordial of relationships at the moment, her motherly care toward her brother-in-law did cause her to become concerned over the fact that he had not met Meghan Markle's estranged father before deciding to marry her back in 2018.
The Duchess of Cambridge was also worried that Meghan Markle "appeared embarrassed" about certain members of her family, a royal author has claimed. Speaking to The Sun, Ingrid Seward, editor in chief of Majesty Magazine, claimed: "She could not understand why Harry had never met his future father-in-law, nor why Meghan, who Harry assured was The One and 'ticked all his boxes', appeared embarrassed about her family and unwilling to speak about them apart from her mother."
READ MORE
Prince William and Kate Middleton 10th anniversary: A look at their iconic and truly ROYAL moments
Harry defended Meghan's strained relationship with her family
Kate reportedly had expressed her concerns to Prince William's brother after he brought his then-fiancée to stay with them at their Norfolk home, Amner Hall, for Christmas after announcing their engagement to the world in 2017. However, the discussion might have been a friendly one because the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge "praised Meghan for mucking in and playing with George and Charlotte" following their visit.
Prince Harry, however, later guest-edited BBC Radio 4's 'Today' program where he told listeners his loved ones were "the family I suppose that she's never had." Meghan's strained relationship with her father early on caused quite a bit of worry for Kate. She even noted the fact that the former 'Suits' actress was "unwilling to speak" about her dad, Thomas Markle, to The Firm and only ever mentioned her mother, Doria Ragland.
Meghan can't imagine hurting Archie the way her father hurt her
However, Meghan did not always have a distant relationship with her father. After her parents' divorce when she was six, she lived with her mother until she was a teenager, after which she moved to live with Thomas. However, their relationship suffered a complete breakdown after Thomas, who had been due to walk his daughter down the aisle, revealed he'd suffered a heart attack and would not be traveling from the United States to attend his daughter's wedding. As a result, Doria was the only parent who attended Meghan's royal wedding at St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018.
During a recent bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan opened up about how she had been hurt by her father's "betrayal," and could never fathom hurting Archie the same way. She said she has "found it hard to reconcile" with her father Thomas after that, especially following his several interviews to the media where he tried to make Meghan out to be the villain. "I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child," she said.
In March, Thomas denied his daughter's claims that he had "betrayed" her before branding his son-in-law Harry "snotty." He also accused the Duke of Sussex of failing to properly support his daughter when she was suicidal.