Thomas Markle has slammed his daughter Meghan as he claims she ‘dumped him’ before her wedding to Prince Harry and says the couple have ‘no right to speak to the Queen that way’ after the couple hit back over their Sussex Royal branding.
The 75-year-old was seen coming out of a shopping centre close to his house in Rosarito, Mexico and told reporters that he was ‘upset’ with his daughter and her husband Harry who married in 2018.
He claimed that the Sussexes didn’t have the right to use the word Royal as he launched a scathing attack on his daughter, who has relocated to Canada with Harry and their son Archie, who Mr Markle has not met.
Speaking on Monday he said: ‘I’m very upset with Meghan and Harry right now. I don’t think they have the right to use the word Royal.
‘I don’t think they have a right to speak to the Queen in the way they have spoken to her, I think it’s an insult to the Queen and to the British people.
Thomas Markle slammed Meghan and Harry (pictured above) for the way they spoke to the Queen over the Sussex Royal branding issues
Mr Markle had been shopping (pictured above) and told reporters that his daughter had ‘dumped him’
Harry and Meghan make it perfectly clear that they could use the term ‘Royal’ as part of their branding overseas if they wanted to
‘My daughter dumped me one day before she got married, she has dumped my family, she has dumped Doria’s family, she has dumped every family and now she is dumping the British family.’
After speaking to the press Mr Markle then struggled to get back into his car and seemed to be in pain as he sat in the drivers seat.
Meghan and Harry dropped the Sussex Royal brand and made an extraordinary online ‘swipe’ at the Queen and other royals on Friday night as they announced they will stop using their Sussex Royal brand when they step down as senior royals on March 31.
The couple then posted a 1,114-word ‘update’ on their personal website and claimed the Queen had no ‘jurisdiction’ over the word ‘Royal’ overseas and said the monarch and the Government would have been powerless to stop them had they continued to use the word while abroad.
After speaking to reporters Mr Markle got back into his car and was visibly in pain as he sat in the drivers seat
Harry and Meghan imply that they are being treated differently to other members of the royal family who can ‘seek employment outside of the institution’
The Daily Mail first reported that the Queen had asked Harry and Meghan not to employ the ‘Sussex Royal’ name when they are no longer working royals.
It is a significant blow for the couple, who have spent tens of thousands of pounds building the Sussex Royal-branded website and creating a hugely popular Instagram feed.
In an unprecedented legal move, the queen has drafted in top lawyers in a bid to enforce the ban.
A string of trademark applications, covering items from clothing and books to stationery and bandanas, were withdrawn.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pictured above earlier this month. It is said that costs to keep the couple safe are continuing to soar
The couple insist that it is their ‘preference’ to ‘continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant’
The couple stunned Britain in January with an abrupt announcement that they wanted to step back from royal duties. Prince Harry said the move was a ‘leap of faith’ as he sought to build a more peaceful life – free from the journalists who have filmed, photographed and written about him since the day he was born.
Harry and Meghan said Wednesday that they would formally break free from the royal family starting March 31.
The prince and his wife will walk away from most royal duties, give up public funding and try to become financially independent. The couple are expected to spend most of their time in Canada while maintaining a home in England, near Windsor Castle.
Harry and Meghan will no longer use the titles His Royal Highness and Her Royal Highness but will retain them, leaving open the possibility that they may change their minds and return to royal duties in the future.
Prior to their decision to step back from the titles and responsibilities of royal life, Harry and Meghan sought to trademark the term SussexRoyal to protect it from others who would like to exploit the brand.
The couple married in 2018 and earlier this year they announced they would be stepping back from their royal duties
Harry and Meghan’s travels this year and where they are expected to be going in March
The latest dig from Mr Markle comes as criticised Meghan and Harry for their security plans.
Experts claimed the couple’s jet-set lifestyle and move to Canada could leave the police unable to cope as they undertake trips to various countries in order to establish their own brand away from the British Monarchy.
Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline: ‘The cost of security was always going to be a major problem for Harry and Meghan and it doesn’t surprise me that the bill seems to be going up and up.
‘The travelling they do around North America is going to put an immense strain on resources as both they and their son Archie need to be protected 24/7 and Scotland Yard detectives will tend to work shifts of two weeks on two weeks off.
‘If you add the costs of them having to travel to and from the UK for leave it could spiral out of control and become absolutely ridiculous. So in the long term I don’t think it is sustainable.’
Taxpayers currently pay £600,000 for the Sussexes’ team of royal protection officers, with previous forecasts suggesting the bill could rise to between £3million and £6million when they move abroad.
Harry and Meghan’s statement on their website in full
AS AGREED AND SET OUT IN JANUARY 2020:
- It is agreed that the commencement of the revised role of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will take effect Spring 2020 and undergo a 12 month review.
- The Royal Family respect and understand the wish of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to live a more independent life as a family, by removing the supposed ‘public interest’ justification for media intrusion into their lives. They remain a valued part of Her Majesty’s family.
- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will become privately funded members of The Royal Family with permission to earn their own income and the ability to pursue their own private charitable interests.
- The preference of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex was to continue to represent and support Her Majesty The Queen albeit in a more limited capacity, while not drawing on the Sovereign Grant.
- While there is precedent for other titled members of the Royal Family to seek employment outside of the institution, for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, a 12-month review period has been put in place.
- Per the agreement The Duke and Duchess of Sussex understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties and not undertake representative duties on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.
- As agreed and set out in January, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will retain their “HRH” prefix, thereby formally remaining known as His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will no longer actively use their HRH titles as they will no longer be working members of the family as of Spring 2020.
- As the grandson of Her Majesty and second son of The Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex remains sixth in line to the throne of The British Monarchy and the Order of Precedence is unchanged.
- It was agreed that The Duke and Duchess will no longer be able to formally carry out ‘official duties’ for The Queen or represent The Commonwealth, but they will, however, be allowed to maintain their patronages (including those that are classified as ‘royal’ patronages).
- It is agreed that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will continue to require effective security to protect them and their son. This is based on The Duke’s public profile by virtue of being born into The Royal Family, his military service, the Duchess’ own independent profile, and the shared threat and risk level documented specifically over the last few years. No further details can be shared as this is classified information for safety reasons.
- In relation to the military, The Duke of Sussex will retain the rank of Major, and honorary ranks of Lieutenant Commander, and Squadron Leader. During this 12-month period of review, The Duke’s official military appointments will not be used as they are in the gift of the Sovereign. No new appointments will be made to fill these roles before the 12-month review of the new arrangements is completed.
- While per the agreement, The Duke will not perform any official duties associated with these roles, given his dedication to the military community and ten years of service he will of course continue his unwavering support to the military community in a non-official capacity. As founder of the Invictus Games, The Duke will proudly continue supporting the military community around the world through the Invictus Games Foundation and The Endeavour Fund.
- Based on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s desire to have a reduced role as members of The Royal Family, it was decided in January that their Institutional Office would have to be closed, given the primary funding mechanism for this official office at Buckingham Palace is from HRH The Prince of Wales. The Duke and Duchess shared this news with their team personally in January once they knew of the decision, and have worked closely with their staff to ensure a smooth transition for each of them.
- Over the last month and a half, The Duke and Duchess have remained actively involved in this process, which has understandably been saddening for The Duke and Duchess and their loyal staff, given the closeness of Their Royal Highnesses and their dedicated team.
- As The Duke and Duchess will no longer be considered full-time working Members of The Royal Family, it was agreed that use of the word ‘Royal’ would need to be reviewed as it pertains to organisations associated with them in this new regard. More details on this below.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
- As shared in early January on this website, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not plan to start a ‘foundation’, but rather intend to develop a new way to effect change and complement the efforts made by so many excellent foundations globally.
- The creation of this non-profit entity will be in addition to their cause driven work that they remain deeply committed to. While The Duke and Duchess are focused on plans to establish a new non-profit organisation, given the specific UK government rules surrounding use of the word ‘Royal’, it has been therefore agreed that their non-profit organisation will not utilise the name ‘Sussex Royal’ or any other iteration of ‘Royal.’
- For the above reason, the trademark applications that had been filed as protective measures and that reflected the same standard trademarking requests as done for The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have been removed.
- While there is not any jurisdiction by The Monarchy or Cabinet Office over the use of the word ‘Royal’ overseas, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex do not intend to use ‘Sussex Royal’ or any iteration of the word ‘Royal’ in any territory (either within the UK or otherwise) when the transition occurs Spring 2020.
- As The Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to develop their non-profit organisation and plan for their future, we hope that you use this site as the source for factual information. In Spring 2020, their digital channels will be refreshed as they introduce the next exciting phase to you.
