Meghan Markle family tree: Lineage of Prince Harry’s fiancée MAPPED
MEGHAN Markle’s family has been thrown into the media spotlight after her engagement to Prince Harry. But who are her family members who have hit the headlines?
EPA
The Suits’ actress Meghan Markle has spoken about her close relationship with her “free-sprited" mum Doria Ragland and “thoughtful, inspiring” father Thomas Markle.
But her other relatives have also grabbed the headlines with her half-sister Samantha Grant speaking about her upcoming memoir entitled ‘The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister.’
Here is a look at the family tree of Meghan Markle ahead of her marriage to Prince Harry.
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Daily Express
Who is Meghan Markle’s mother Doria Ragland?
Meghan Markle has described her beloved 61-year-old mum as a “free-spirited clinical therapist” who raised her as a global citizen.
Meghan wrote on her blog The Tig, which she shut down earlier this year, that her African-American mother would often take her on holidays to remote and impoverished places.
“My mom’s a yoga instructor, but she does social work, as well, and she works specifically with the geriatric community.
“For me to watch this level of life-long sensitivity to nurturing and caregiving, but at the same time my mom has always been a free spirit,” Meghan wrote.
“She’s got dreadlocks and a nose ring. She just ran the LA Marathon. 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.”
Prince Harry has described Meghan’s mum as “amazing”, and the couple and Doria were all spotted at the Invictus Games in Toronto in October.
NC
Who is Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle?
Thomas Markle met his now ex-wife Doria Ragland on the set of the US soap General Hospital where he worked as a lighting director and Doria was a temp in the studio.
The couple married in 1979 and had one child together - Rachel Meghan Markle - but they divorced in 1988 when Meghan was six.
Thomas won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series for his work on General Hospital in 2011.
He is of Dutch-Irish descent and is originally from Pennsylvania, but now lives a quiet life in Mexico and is thought to have met Prince Harry.
Meghan once said: “It’s safe to say I have always been a daddy’s girl.”
Who is Meghan Markle’s half-brother Thomas Markle Junior?
Thomas Markle Junior is Meghan’s half-brother on her dad’s side. The father-of-two works as a window-fitter in Oregon and was married to Tracy Dooley for 11 years and has two sons - Thomas and Tyler.
He was arrested in January for allegedly holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head during a drunken argument. The charges were dropped the following month.
Good Morning Britain
Who is Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Grant?
Samantha Grant is 17 years older than Meghan, who is her half sister on her father Thomas Markle’s side.
The mum-of-three who lives in Florida was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 and is now wheel-chair bound. She sells jewellery to raise money to fund the feature films she writes.
She spoke to Good Morning Britain the day after the engagement was announced and described Meghan’s and Prince Harry’s relationship as “so charming and warm.”
“When I watch her with him, it’s very normal,” Samantha said.
“We only get that once in a lifetime if we’re lucky. It’s not about royalty so much as it is about love and that’s wonderful for them.”
Previously Samantha had been a harsh critic of of the relationship between Harry and Meghan and described her in interviews as a “shallow social climber” who barely spoke to her since she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
She said: “The Royal family would be appalled by what she’s done to her own family. The truth would kill her relationship with Prince Harry.”
The ex-model will be releasing a book entitled 'The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister' but insisted it was not a “slamming tell-all.”
