Despite Palace’s command, Meghan’s dad poses for paparazzo
Meghan Markle’s father has been filmed secretly co-operating with a paparazzo to stage photographs of himself.
Meghan Markle’s father has been filmed secretly co-operating with a paparazzo to stage photographs of himself, despite demands from Kensington Palace for media organisations to leave him alone.
The footage is a major embarrassment to the Markle family, with daughter Meghan to marry Prince Harry at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
The footage, revealed by British newspaper The Mail on Sunday, has led to criticism of both Thomas Markle for netting proceeds of the photographs, which could be $US100,000 ($132,500), but also of Ms Markle for letting her father be so financially vulnerable.
Mr Markle leads a reclusive life in Mexico but in recent days photographs were published around the world of him looking at a news story about Harry and his daughter on a computer screen in an internet cafe. Others were of him being measured by a tailor for a suit and reading a book, Images of Britain.
Kensington Palace had issued a stern warning to British media outlets demanding Mr Markle’s privacy. Representatives of Mr Markle even wrote to editors and notified British newspaper watchdog the Independent Press Standards Organisation claiming Mr Markle was suffering as a result of media intrusion.
The letter also claimed he did not want to participate in photo calls or conduct any interviews.
The Mail on Sunday obtained CCTV footage from the internet cafe that shows Mr Markle arriving with photographer Jeff Rayner and arranging the staged photo, which was then published around the world. It is also claimed that the tailor shop organised by the photographer to stage the fitting photo was closed, so an assistant was drafted in to drape a tape measure around Mr Markle outside a party goods shop.
Another photo of Mr Markle working out with weights to get in shape to walk his daughter down the aisle was taken by the same photographer.
Meanwhile, a television executive has claimed Ms Markle was warned to stop hugging Harry’s guards whenever she arrived.
“The guards would greet her and walk her in,” said Bonnie Hammer, chairwoman of the NBC Universal cable network which is producing a show about the royal romance.
“After the first couple of times ... she started giving a hug to the guys, which wasn’t exactly protocol. And at some point, somebody said to her, ‘Well, people don’t really do that.’ She literally said: ‘I’m American. I hug.’ ”
It has also emerged that despite Harry and Ms Markle telling wellwishers they should donate to charity “rather than sending a wedding gift”, the couple do have a private wedding list at the exclusive private members’ club Soho House. The list is only for their inner circle of friends and family to choose from.
Ms Markle used to be a Soho House “brand ambassador” and the list aims to “bring the House home”, with a “curated collection” of items including a “Portobello silver cashmere throw” for £400 ($718), a £90 “country house picnic basket”, a “Lexington chandelier” for £995 and a vintage “brass oval bar cart” for £1300.
Additional reporting: The Sunday Times
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