With Big Brother VIP set to air soon, all eyes will undoubtedly be on Meghan Markle’s estranged half-brother, Thomas Markle Jnr.
WATCH: Thomas Markle Jr: Meghan is controlling Harry as she did with her ex
With Thomas seen calling his sister “shallow” in the Big Brother VIP trailer, the 55-year-old is certainly set to shock viewers with some major bombshells about the Duchess of Sussex.
In another teaser for the reality series, Thomas vowed to write another letter to Meghan and Prince Harry, who are currently residing in California with their children Archie and Lilibet after their decision to step away from royal life in the UK.
Ahead of Big Brother VIP’s debut, we take a look back at Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle Jnr’s volatile relationship over the years.
Early days
Meghan and Thomas are related through their father, Thomas Markle.
The unauthorised biography, Meghan: Hollywood Princess by Andrew Morton, claims Meghan’s mum Doria met her father, Thomas, on the set of American series General Hospital, where Doria was training as a makeup artist and Thomas worked as a lighting director.
After briefly dating, the pair wed in 1979, and in 1981, they welcomed their only child together – Meghan Markle.
Thomas had already had two children from his first marriage to Roslyn Loveless – Thomas Jr. and Samantha Markle.
For the first two years of her life, Meghan lived with her parents and half-siblings Thomas Jr. and Samantha in Woodland Hills, LA until her parents separated, with their divorce being finalised in 1988.
Growing up, the future royal lived predominantly with her mum but spent weekends with her dad.
In a 2017 Vanity Fair interview, Meghan spoke about how well her parents got along despite the split.
WATCH: Thomas Markle Jr: Meghan is controlling Harry as she did with her ex
“What’s so incredible, you know, is that my parents split up when I was two, [but] I never saw them fight,” she told the publication.
“We would still take vacations together. My dad would come on Sundays to drop me off, and we’d watch Jeopardy! eating dinner on TV trays, the three of us. . . . We were still so close-knit.”
In her Oprah interview earlier this year, Meghan made it clear where she stood with her half-siblings.
“I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows, and I wished I had siblings. I would have loved to have had siblings – that’s why I’m so excited to be pregnant so that Archie has someone,” the former Suits star explained.
Falling out
Both sides have stayed tight-lipped about the true reason behind their estrangement, but in an interview with Bild, Thomas revealed some telling details.
He claims the last time he saw his sister was in 2011 at their grandmother’s funeral, around ten years ago.
In 2018, Thomas then slammed his half-sister over her decision not to invite him to her wedding to Prince Harry.
“I’m confused and a little distraught because here is a person knowing the position she’s in and knowing the scrutiny she’s under and yet she has forgotten her flesh and blood.”
Hopes to reconcile
“I really, really hope that someday when all of this goes away we can all get together without the press and just have a normal get together and brush all this under the carpet and go on,” he told Today.
“None of the family has had a bad bone to pick with her, ever, and it would be nice to – especially for my father.”
Warning to Prince Harry
While Thomas seems to switch from anger to empathy toward Meghan, his latest move definitely veers to the former.
In a shocking promo clip for Big Brother VIP, Thomas claimed that the Duchess of Sussex “walked all over” her first husband, American producer Trevor Engelson.
“The guy she was married to the first time, she just walked all over him and dumped him,” he said in the clip. “Harry’s on the chopping block next.”
In an earlier promo for the series, Thomas shared with viewers, “I told Prince Harry, I think she’s going to ruin your life. She’s very shallow.”
Only time will tell what other bombshells Thomas Markle Jnr. is set to drop on Big Brother VIP, but one thing’s for sure – Meghan won’t be happy!
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