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Thomas Markle: “I could die tomorrow”
Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle says he wants her court case against Associated Newspapers—over the Mail on Sunday publishing details of a private letter she sent to him—to happen “as quickly as possible.” Markle wrote in a statement related to his daughter’s case: “I am a realist and I could die tomorrow. The sooner this case takes place the better… I have had a cold for 3 to 4 years which is connected to my heart and lung issues.”
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According to the Sun, his lawyer said Markle was keen to give evidence ASAP. “He continues to feel that he has been misrepresented and that the Claimant (Meghan) should not be pursuing this claim. He is anxious to have his day in court so that he can tell the truth in public.”
“This case is causing me anxiety and I want to get it over with as quickly as possible,” Thomas Markle said, detailing the deteriorating state of his health. “As a result of my heart condition and surgery I am on blood thinners which have had an effect on my breathing. I am unable to walk far or up many stairs. I can’t manage to take more than 30 to 40 steps without getting winded and needing to slow down until I have caught my breath.
“I have had a cold for 3 to 4 years which is connected to my heart and lung issues. I am clinically obese and I have gained more weight during the past months before I have been unable to leave my house to take any exercise. I am pre-diabetic. I don’t know what the position will be in several months' time.”
None of his male relatives had lived beyond 80 years old, Thomas Markle said.
Meghan saw copy of “Finding Freedom” before publication
Meghan Markle received a copy of Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family before it was published.
In court documents, Meghan’s lawyers revealed: “The Claimant’s US publicist was only given a copy of the Book immediately before its serialization, by which time it had already been printed. It was therefore too late for the Claimant to ask for any changes to be made, so that the pleaded inference was false, and there was (accordingly) no invitation to suggest amendments to the text, nor any request for such amendments.”
The revelation comes as the mystery over who briefed Finding Freedom authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand has become a central part of the court battle, now scheduled for next year.
As The Daily Beast has reported, the book contains incredibly intimate information of specific conversations and moments in Harry and Meghan’s lives—information that, if it did not come from them, came from sources amazingly close to them at those moments. The latest statement from Meghan’s lawyer does not clarify if she or Harry had anything direct or indirect to do with the book’s preparation (focusing instead on her reportedly not changing anything in it close to publication), and aims to put more distance between Meghan and the material in the book.
Prince Andrew’s after-dark visits to the queen
The royal family has managed to provide the creepiest Halloween story: Prince Andrew has been making secret night-time visits to the queen, according to the Sun. Andrew still thinks a return to public duties as a royal is possible, and these after-dark visits to his mom are to plot his comeback, apparently proving yet again that Andrew is completely unaware of public feeling over his friendship with pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his so-far unwillingness to co-operate with American authorities.
The Sun reports Andrew’s latest night-time trip was to Windsor Castle on Tuesday. One insider said: “This looked like a deliberate attempt not to be seen.” No shit, Sherlock.
Another source told the Sun of Andrew’s deluded plan to return to public life: “What he wants and what the family are prepared to discuss are probably at odds.” Which merits a second “No shit, Sherlock.”
Harry and Meghan’s popularity plummets
Harry and Meghan’s popularity has plummeted in Britain, following their dramatic departure from royal life, and attendant publicity. You Gov’s royal favorability tracker has found that Harry has dropped 19 points from March this year. “Harry strongly divides public opinion; 48 percent of adults have a positive impression of the former prince and 47 percent have a negative view, leaving him with a net score of 1,” YouGov reported.
YouGov said that Meghan elicits a positive response among a third of UK adults (33 percent) but nearly six in ten (59 percent) have a negative opinion of her, creating a net favorability of -26. “This is down 18 points since March and becomes the second lowest score among the entire Royal Family,” YouGov reported.
The statistics are starkly generational. Harry and Meghan carry net scores of 28 and 20 respectively among adults aged 18 to 24, YouGov says. “Among adults aged over 65 Harry and Meghan have net scores of -45 and -66 respectively,” it adds. Ouch.
All the other royals, led by the queen, scored impressively, including—gallingly for Harry and Meghan—William and Kate, whose popularity holds steady.
Missing you
Prince Charles is “sad” that he hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for over a year. A friend told the Mail on Sunday: “The Prince of Wales enjoyed popping into Frogmore Cottage to see his youngest grandchild and is sad that he hasn’t seen him for so long. He has missed much of his development since he is now growing up in the USA.” Instead, he’s been seeing a lot of his grandchildren via William and Kate.
The rest of the royals feel the same. “Other members of the family are very sad at not seeing him (Archie). Everyone really misses Archie—they feel it’s particularly sad for the Queen and Prince Philip,” a friend told the Mail. “Harry always said he looked forward to raising his family with William’s—which of course is not now happening.”
A “Sussex source” made it clear to the Mail, well, tough shit, Harry and Meghan are perfectly happy in California, thanks very much. “They are now in their own family home, which they haven’t had properly before. It’s theirs, it’s their forever home, where they are going to base themselves. Archie is moving about and is lively and they’re having a great time.”
Saying sorry
The U.K. Sunday Times reports that Tim Davie, the newly appointed director-general of the BBC, has apologized to Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, over Martin Bashir’s use of allegedly fake bank statements to convince Diana into giving her explosive BBC Panorama interview in 1995 in which she famously described how there were “three of us” in her marriage (Camilla, Charles, and her).
Last month, Earl Spencer told the Sunday Times that Bashir had told his sister “fantastical stories to win her trust.” The earl said the fake statements were intended to prove that his former security chief was selling information about the family to journalists, figures within the royal family, and MI5 employees.
A 1996 BBC investigation into Bashir’s conduct stated: “The BBC has been able, independently, to verify that these documents were put to no use which had any bearing, direct or indirect, on the Panorama interview with the Princess of Wales.”
The BBC reportedly won’t reopen an investigation into Bashir’s behavior, because the journalist is seriously ill battling coronavirus.
Kate and William: still very normal
Aha, yet another move in the efforts to brand William and Kate as “the normal ones,” in contrast to Meghan and Harry’s life of international glamor.
The Sun reports that William and Kate took the kids off on a low-key “staycation’ on the Isle of Scilly, which are small islands off the south west coast of England. We learn the cottage they rented was a “modest one,” running a picture of Harry and Meghan beneath it, making the specious claim it is not the life “they are used to.”
It’s an unfair comparison, because Meghan Markle was raised much more modestly than Kate; also, the royals themselves live pretty grandly, and that includes Kate and William who have 20 rooms to pad around in at Kensington Palace.
William and Kate were also spotted on the Scillies in July, so they clearly like the place. But it’s weird to compare the Sussexes mansion in Montecito with William and Kate’s holiday pad. If you’re comparing like for like and home for home, the Cambridges do pretty well at Kensington Palace.
This week in royal history
David Armstrong-Jones, more familiarly known as Viscount Linley, son of Princess Margaret, was born at Clarence House on November 3, 1961—so on Election Day the very posh furniture-maker will be celebrating his 59th birthday.
Unanswered questions
What is the “confidential” reason behind the judge delaying Meghan’s court case against Associated Newspapers until next autumn?
Is the queen really planning on stepping down next year when she turns 95, as royal biographer Robert Jobson claimed on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat?
