Meghan Markle's Half-Sister Trying to Stop Their Dad From Watching New Netflix Show

By Michael Hein

Meghan Markle's half-sister is not watching her new Netflix docu-series, and she is trying to prevent their father, Thomas Markle from watching it as well. Samantha Markle spoke to TMZ on Saturday saying that she thinks Meghan and Prince Harry's new documentary about their personal life is "disrespectful." She said that Thomas is still focused on recovering from his stroke and will not be watching the show.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix when they moved back to the U.S., intending to produce non-fiction content for the streamer including this long-awaited docu-series. The show is called Harry & Meghan, and the details were finally announced last week, just days before it premiered on Netflix on Thursday. The show includes interviews and commentary with friends and family of the Sussexes, but neither Meghan's father nor her half-sister were asked to participate.

This may be why Samantha described the show as "disrespectful," though she did not elaborate on that complaint. It may also relate to Meghan and Prince Harry's departure from full-time royal life – which Thomas apparently opposed. However, Samantha was likely referring to the documentary's coverage of Thomas himself and the publicity snafu that stopped Thomas from attending their 2018 wedding altogether. At one point in the documentary, Harry even remarks on how "incredibly sad" it is to him that his wife has essentially lost her relationship with her father, implying some finality in that arrangement.

For those that don't recall, Meghan had initially invited her estranged father Thomas to her wedding, but ultimately he did not attend. A few days before the wedding, Thomas became the subject of widespread media coverage after it was discovered that he had cooperated in staging paparazzi photos in exchange for money. Officially, it was announced that Thomas could not attend the wedding because he was still recovering from recent heart surgery.

Episode 3 of the docu-series includes the most discussion of Thomas Markle and of that side of Meghan's family in general. It mentions Samantha as well, noting that despite Samantha's outspoken voice in the press, she and Meghan have not been in contact for many years. However, Meghan spoke fondly of Samantha's daughter and wished that she could have attended the royal wedding.

The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan dropped on Netflix on Thursday, all about an hour in length. The next three episodes will premiere on Thursday, Dec. 15, giving viewers the full picture just in time for the holidays. The new details and gossip will undoubtedly be a popular topic of discussion for families gathering later this month.

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