American actress Meghan Markle stole Prince Harry's heart.
But with the announcement of their engagement, came questions about just who Ms. Markle really
is.
From her showbiz childhood, to ongoing sibling drama, here's what you don't know about Markle's
family.
Marrying into royalty
Markle's parents, Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, divorced in 1987 when Markle was
six-years-old.
But in a statement tweeted out by Kensington Palace, Markle's parents came together to
offer their blessing, saying, "Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person.
To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for
us as parents."
Meet cute
Markle revealed to Elle, that her parents met when her mom held a temp job at the TV
studio where her father worked.
Markle also told Craig Ferguson she used to visit her dad on set of another one of his
Hollywood gigs:
"I grew up on the set of Married With Children, every day after school for 10 years I was
there."
But she told Esquire, it wasn't exactly a kid-friendly scene, remembering,
"There were a lot of times my dad would say, 'Meg, why don't you go and help with the craft
services room over there?
This is just a little off-color for your 11-year-old eyes.'"
Winning the lottery
While Markle's parents remain elusive to the press, her half-brother, Tom Jr., and half-sister,
Samantha, have...not.
Tom Jr. told The Daily Mail that his dad won $750,000 in the lottery in 1990.
Though the tabloid couldn't confirm the win with the California Lottery, both Tom Jr.
and another relative stand by the story.
Tom Jr. also revealed that Markle was particularly doted upon, attending private school before
enrolling at Northwestern University, which Tom Jr. said the prize money helped her afford.
Her dad's quiet life
The intrigue surrounding Markle's father is amplified even further by the fact that he's
lived in Mexico since 2011, according to The Daily Mail, who confirmed his status with
Thomas' brother, Michael.
Thomas' retirement and subsequent move to Mexico happened just as his daughter's career
was taking off, and her star turn on Suits saw her moving to Toronto that same year.
Finding her identity
In her essay for Elle, Markle shed light on painful encounters with racism she and her
mother have endured.
Megan wrote about times when her African-American mother was mistaken for her nanny, and called
a racial slur during an altercation.
She noted,
"While my mixed heritage may have created a grey area surrounding my self-identification...I
have come to embrace that...To voice my pride in being a strong, confident mixed-race woman."
Her mom's story
Markle's mom, Doria, has lived a quiet life far from the tabloids.
That is, until she accepted Prince Harry's invitation to attend the closing ceremony
of The Invictus Games in 2017.
Since then, the press has clamored for details.
According to The Daily Mail, Doria lives and works in Los Angeles as a wellness counselor
at a substance abuse treatment center.
But it was Markle who gave probably the best glimpse into her mom's life, when she wrote
in Glamour in 2017,
"We can just have so much fun together, and yet, I'll still find so much solace in her
support.
That duality coexists the same way it would in a best friend."
Money problems
Though Thomas Markle was a high-earner for most of his career, he ended up filing for
bankruptcy in 2016 due to "credit card debts of [over $340,000] and savings of [roughly
$223]."
Markle's mother also filed for bankruptcy in 2002, citing "a $52,750 credit-card bill."
Meanwhile, Markle's half-sister, Samantha accused Markle of a lack of emotional and
financial support, as reported by Radar Online.
But, not surprisingly, Markle and Samantha aren't exactly close.
Her sister cashes in
Samantha Markle is Thomas Markle's eldest child from his first marriage.
She only recently started using the surname Markle — previously going by Grant — in
what some view as a bid to ride the coattails of her sister's fame.
Case in point?
She's currently penning a book with the working title, The Diary Of Princess Pushy's Sister.
She told Good Morning Britain, the book will delve into, quote, "the inter-racial evolution
of this country...since the Civil Rights Act", as well as,
"How that intersects with this recent event with my sister… and how sad it was going
through it all."
But her brother, Tom Jr., who she is also estranged from, isn't buying it.
He told The Daily Mail,
"She's obviously doing this for her little flash in the pan fame and fortune."
But Markle is estranged from Tom Jr. as well.
Her brother's side of the story
Now living in Oregon and working as a "window-fitter," Thomas Markle Jr. has also been in the media
since his sister hit the royal radar.
He explained his estrangement from his famous sis to The Daily Mail, saying,
"There was no big falling out.
Suits took her to a whole other level of fame.
She got new friends, mixed in fancy circles.
I was married and living my life.
We stopped being close."
But in January 2017, Tom Jr. was arrested and charged with,
"Menacing, pointing a firearm at another person, and unlawful use of a weapon"
...after an alleged drunken confrontation with his girlfriend.
The charges were eventually dropped, and Tom Jr. promised that he would seek help, in a
statement.
It's a family mess that Markle has aptly chosen not to address in public.
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