Meghan Markle's Dad Just Compared the Royal Family to a Cult

Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle, compared the royal family to a cult in his latest interview. Thomas has consistently alienated himself from the royal family since missing the royal wedding in May.

Prince Harry visit to Cardiff Castle
(Image credit: WPA Pool)

Today in horrible things Thomas Markle says, Meghan Markle's 74-year-old father has compared the royal family to a cult. Because that's a surefire way to win over your estranged in-laws?

In his latest interview, Thomas talked to The Sun (and also maybe did a photo shoot? But nothing he does can surprise us at this point, right?) from his home in Rosario, Mexico.

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"They are either like Scientologists or the Stepford family. If they hear anybody say anything they just lock the doors. They need to speak up!" he said. "They are cult-like — like Scientology — because they are secretive. They close the door, pull the shades down and put their fingers in their ears so they don’t have to hear."

This latest blast against the royal family comes after an interview with the Daily Mail (which, for what it's worth, Thomas insisted would be his last interview ever), in which Thomas admitted to lying to and then hanging up on Prince Harry in the wake of his staged paparazzi photo scandal.

"I’m not mad at Harry. I’m not mad at Meghan," he said at the time. "I love them. I wish them well. But as for the rest of it, f*ck it. I’m done."

Clearly, Thomas is not done, of course. After the photo scandal, Thomas missed the royal wedding, officially citing health issues (although, some sources close to Meghan claim those were faked as well). Since then, he's given several tell-all interviews which have reportedly (and completely understandably) put a great deal of strain on his relationship with Meghan and the rest of the royal family.

The only cure for this rift is probably public silence and private apologies from Thomas, but that doesn't seem likely any time soon.

Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.