The entire world has its eyes on Meghan Markle. After she married Prince Harry, she achieved the dream of little girls everywhere: to become an honest-to-goodness princess.
Critics have accused Meghan of chasing after that royal title. As it turns out, though, she didn’t have to go far to find a royal connection. Recently, it was revealed Meghan has been related to royalty long before she married Prince Harry!
This new information about Meghan Markle’s ancestry comes from her estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. In an interview with Express.co.uk, Thomas claims that Meghan and the rest of the Markle family are descended from the Scottish king Robert the Bruce, who ruled Scotland between 1306 and 1329.
Estranged Brother’s Royal Claims
Thomas claims the Markles have a “direct bloodline” to the Scottish king, and that he got the info from royal researcher and famous author Andrew Morton.
These sudden revelations don’t really change anything about Meghan’s current royal status. But it’s a little ironic that Thomas is dropping these major revelations about royal ancestry, when it turns out that Meghan doesn’t really care about royal titles that much.
Earlier this year, Meghan and Harry raised everyone’s eyebrows when they gave up their royal titles and funding. It seems like this couple has discovered that there is more to who you are than your family tree!
Kissing Cousins
Thomas is not the only one who has investigated the genealogy of Meghan Markle. When The Daily Mail looked into it, they made a fairly shocking discovery: Meghan and Prince Harry are distant cousins!
In fact, their bloodline connection goes back to the 15th century thanks to their common ancestor Ralph Bowes (the High Sheriff of County Durham). It turns out Meghan was related to Harry all along! Then again, Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip are also distant cousins, so this is just another day in the life of royalty.
A Mystery to Meghan?
Thomas presented this information as a revelation to the world. But that brings up a fairly natural question: was this a revelation to Meghan as well?
It’s a good question, but one we’re not going to get an answer to. Thomas neglected to mention if Meghan already knew about this previous royal connection. If she really wanted to find out, she has enjoyed access to unprecedented wealth and resources that could help her conduct her own genealogical research.
The fact that she hasn’t said anything may mean this information is a surprise or even that she doesn’t believe it… or simply that she is unaware of her brother’s claims. Unless Meghan makes a statement about the issue, we’ll never know for sure.
From Disney to ‘Happily Ever After’
Aside from that royal connection, Thomas had more tea to spill about Meghan. For example, he claims that she’d been eyeballing life as royalty since she was very young.
According to him, it all started (where else?) with her love of Disney movies. Like so many young girls, Meghan grew up on a steady diet of Cinderella and other Disney classics that made her want to be a princess.
That childhood fantasy might have faded away if not for a school trip she took as a teenager to Buckingham Palace. Thomas claims that that visit was “when she probably set her sights on what she wanted.”
Escaping Her Old Family
So, why are we hearing about Meghan’s life from her brother instead of from Meghan herself? This is largely because of the ongoing estrangement between her and the rest of her family.
Meghan’s parents divorced when she was a child, and she grew up away from her father Thomas Markle Sr. Still, as an adult she stayed in touch enough with him that she wanted him to walk her down the aisle for her wedding. But as her wedding drew nearer, her dad reportedly staged some paparazzi photos that upset her. Then, he had to skip her wedding after suffering two heart attacks.
But Meghan’s relationship with her father completely deteriorated when he leaked a personal letter she had sent him to The Daily Mail.
Meghan and Harry’s Lawsuit
After The Daily Mail published excerpts from the letter she sent her father, Meghan and Harry decided to sue the tabloid. Incredibly, her father says he is willing to testify against her in court in order to tell his side of the story.
This may be one reason why her brother is suddenly spilling revelations about their royal ancestry. By putting the spotlight on himself for the moment, he gets a platform to tell Meghan she should “get off her high horse” and “make amends” with her father.
Her brother has had his own share of public drama related to Meghan. At one point, he was unemployed and even homeless and blamed his connection to Meghan for his inability to find work. However, it likely has more to do with his sketchy legal history, including being arrested for DUI in 2019 and for allegedly pointing a gun at his girlfriend’s head during a drunken fight in 2017.
It’s no wonder Meghan and Harry have escaped to Canada to avoid all the family drama!