Meghan Markle‘s estranged brother branded his sister ‘shallow’ as he entered the Australian Big Brother house and revealed he ‘warned’ Prince Harry about the actress before their marriage.
Thomas Markle Jr, 55, who has joined stars including Caitlyn Jenner and NRL player Matt Cooper for the Australian version of Celebrity Big Brother, claimed he was the ‘biggest brother of them all’ as he entered the VIP house in Sydney.
In a trailer for Big Brother VIP, the window fitter from Oregon said: ‘I’m Meghan Markle’s brother, I’m the biggest brother of them all.’
He added: ‘I told Prince Harry, I think she’s going to ruin your life. She’s very shallow’.
Thomas Markle Jr (pictured), who is from Oregon, slammed the Duchess of Sussex as he entered Australia’s Big Brother VIP house
Mr Markle (right) has previously claimed the last time he saw the Duchess of Sussex (left with Prince Harry) was in 2011
Mr Markle, who is the only son of Thomas Markle and Meghan’s half-brother, has previously claimed the last time he saw the Duchess of Sussex was in 2011, telling the German newspaper Bild that his family believed she was now a ‘changed person’.
He was living with her father; sister Samantha Grant, also known as Samantha Markle; and stepmother Doria Ragland when Meghan was born in 1981.
The window fitter was married for 11 years to Tracy Dooley until they divorced in 2001, and they had two sons – Thomas and Tyler Dooley.
Mr Markle does not have a relationship with his famous younger sister and was not invited to the Sussexes’ wedding in May 2018.
He has previously criticised his half-sister in the press, describing her as a ‘phony’ and a ‘jaded, shallow, conceited woman’.
The estranged brother has also blasted Meghan, 40, for cutting off their father, Thomas Markle Sr, after he was caught collaborating with U.S. paparazzi.
In 2018, during an interview with DailyMail.com, Mr Markle said the Duchess of Sussex could have handled her family tribulations ‘differently from the start’ and avoided the rift with her father that has seen him speak out repeatedly.
He said: ‘I think Meghan should have handled this differently. I think Meghan should have handled this from the beginning and I think it got ignored and swept under the carpet for so long, it’s a shame where it’s ended up, especially between her and my father.
‘She’s capable of doing anything, she’s just got to want to do it. If she wants to make amends, by all means, she can do that. But she’s got to want to do it.’
Joining Mr Markle inside the house was Olympian Caitlyn Jenner, who flew to Australia from Los Angeles last month.
During a teaser trailer for the show Mr Markle claimed he was the ‘biggest brother of them all’
The window fitter went on to say he warned Prince Harry about his sister and said she would ‘ruin his life’
The 71-year-old American personality, who is also running for Governor of California, is rumoured to be getting $500,000 (£364,000) for her appearance on the show. Mr Markle Jr’s salary is unknown.
The former advisor to Donald Trump, Omarosa Manigault Newman, 47, has also joined the stars inside the house.
Speaking of the former American President she said: ‘You know how they say power corrupts a person? Donald Trump was drunk and mad on power’.
Also appearing in the trailer was Married At First Sight Star Jessika Power, who said: ‘Ladies, lock up your husbands!’.
The celebrities will be joined by Kyle Sandilands’ model ex-girlfriend Imogen Anthony, Australian Survivor star Luke Toki, former football players Matt Cooper and Dayne Beams and 2021 Big Brother Australia star Daniel Haye.
The show will be hosted by Sonia Kruger, with filming for the series commencing at Sydney’s Olympic Park a week ago.
Also dropping bombs in the Big Brother VIP trailer was former advisor to Donald Trump, Omarosa Manigault Newman (pictured)
Caitlyn Jenner (pictured) also appeared in the video, revealing that her experience on Keeping Up With The Kardashians will make Big Brother a breeze for her
Married At First Sight Star Jessika Power said ‘ladies, lock up your husbands’ before her entry into the house
Channel Seven confirmed the full line-up for Big Brother VIP, ahead of the highly anticipated launch on Sunday
Ahead of the show’s launch a Channel Seven spokesman said: ‘It’s important to note that Seven ensures the arrival of international artists in Australia does not impact or impede on Australians returning home from overseas.
‘Any international artists associated with Seven are on arrangements that exist outside of the flight cap on international arrivals and have been granted exemptions by the government to come here.
‘All our artists also undertake quarantine measures in line with government legislation.
‘Much like the arrival of world-class international actors bolstering Australia’s film industry at present, these artists are contributing to the making of leading TV productions, creating jobs for many people at a difficult time for the creative and production sectors.’