Meghan Markle Blasted For 'Hypocrisy': Shows 'Empathy' For Others But Ignores Estranged Dad
Meghan Markle has been criticized by a royal commentator for not reaching out to her estranged father following his multiple public pleas for reconciliation.
Last month, Thomas Markle said in an interview with the Daily Mail that the Duchess of Sussex was the person he "most [wants] to hear from" on his birthday on July 18 despite allegedly being treated "so badly" by her and his son-in-law, Prince Harry.
Weighing in on Thomas' latest plea to his daughter, Hilary Fordwich called out the Duchess of Sussex for her "hypocrisy" and lack of "empathy" for her own dad, who reportedly suffered a stroke in 2022.
"The hypocrisy of Meghan Markle claiming to care about people and all the tours they go on where they have empathy for people," Fordwich said on GB News.
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The royal commentator pointed out that Markle had nothing but praise for her father before marrying Prince Harry but seemingly downplayed his role in her childhood and career after joining the royal family in 2018.
"In 2016, she posted on Instagram that her daddy was the greatest in the world," Fordwich noted, seemingly referring to Meghan's now-deleted Instagram post on Father's Day 2016. "The other thing is that she claimed that she had made everything herself, and she came from a very poor family."
In reality, according to Fordwich, Markle "had a very privileged childhood, being sent to private schools in California."
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"Her father ... was the one who set her off on her career in Hollywood. It wasn't all done by herself," the royal commentator added.
She went on to say that it's "a very sad state of affairs" that Thomas has not been able to meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Meghan has been estranged from her father, an Emmy-winning lighting director, since he was caught staging paparazzi photos just before her and Prince Harry's 2018 wedding.
Thomas pulled out of the wedding just days before the lavish ceremony was held, citing a heart attack and surgery. Then-Prince Charles walked his daughter-in-law down the aisle instead of her dad.
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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex talked about the incident and where she and her dad stood in the third episode of their Netflix docuseries, "Harry & Meghan," which aired in December 2022.
Prince Harry described the situation as "incredibly sad," adding: "I shouldered that because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad."
Meghan claimed she reached out to Thomas after reports surfaced that he was "taking money from the tabloids to stage photos," but he did not explain or pick up her calls.
She also said she texted her dad asking which hospital he was at so she could visit and made it clear to him that they weren't "mad."
According to the duchess, that was the last time she'd spoken to Thomas.
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In a 2021 interview on "Good Morning Britain," Thomas recalled one of his last conversations with Meghan and Harry.
He claimed that he hung up a call after he received a "snotty" text from his son-in-law that said, "If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to you."
"At that point we pretty much said goodbye," claimed Thomas.
But the retired Hollywood lighting director claimed that he has since apologized "at least 100 times" and was "disappointed" that he hasn't heard from Meghan or Prince Harry since then.
