Meghan Markle’s estranged dad, Thomas Markle, expressed his disproval of the duchess’s decision to change her last name to Sussex after marrying Prince Harry.
“My mum loved Meghan very much, but she would be so disappointed to hear that Meghan no longer wants to use the name Markle,” Thomas, 80, told the Daily Mail in an article published Saturday.
“My mother was proud to be a Markle,” he continued, adding, “So am I.”
The retired TV lighting director claimed his daughter “never had a problem” with her maiden name “until she met Prince Harry.”
“Now I have to say, ‘I am Meghan Sussex’s dad,’” he complained.
Meghan, 43, confirmed she uses the updated last name in her new Netflix show, “With Love, Meghan,” which premiered last week.
During Episode 2 of the lifestyle series, she corrected her guest Mindy Kaling after the “Office” alum repeatedly referred to her as “Meghan Markle.”
“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” the “Suits” alum clarified, prompting Kaling to appear shocked.
Meghan further explained that she found it very meaningful to share a last name with Harry, 40, and their two kids, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
“You have kids, and you go, ‘No, I share my name with my children,’” she said. “It just means so much to go, ‘This is our family name, our little family name.’”
Kaling, seemingly unperturbed, replied with acceptance, telling the As Ever founder, “Now I know. And I love it.”
Thomas, however, isn’t so accepting, and he hasn’t been able to get himself to watch his daughter’s show.
“I haven’t seen the show, but I’ve seen a ton of clips, and I’ve read many stories. I might sit down and watch it one day, but I’m not sure,” he told the Daily Mail.
Still, Thomas believes Meghan comes across as “inauthentic” in the parts that he has seen.
“Cooking shows are horrendously boring unless the presenter has a passion for it,” he said. “You have to be authentic to hold people’s attention. When you are stuffing the turkey’s ass, it has to look like you’re having fun doing it.”
Thomas went on to say that “unfortunately” Meghan “has never been authentic.”
“She has to think about everything. She’s not spontaneous. Everything she says is pre-planned and rehearsed,” he said. “It makes me laugh because I know all her looks and expressions.”
Thomas further ripped into Meghan, claiming she wants to be flawless all the time.
“I know when she’s faking it for the cameras. She’s trying so hard to be perfect that she tenses up every time the camera is on her,” he said.
“The best cooks are funny, they mess up, they are human. She just wants to be perfect,” he dug in. “It’s sad because she’s trying so hard to stay in the limelight.”
“With Love, Meghan” debuted to mixed reviews from critics in the US and across the pond.
Despite the backlash Meghan has received, Netflix already started filming the second season in January, and the new installment is due to premiere in the fall.
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