Meghan Markle’s estranged half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. is hoping that the birth of the royal baby will help mend the ongoing Markle family feud.
Baby Sussex, Meghan’s first child with Prince Harry, made his way into the world at 5:26 a.m. London time on Monday, May 6, and speaking to The Sun after Buckingham Palace confirmed the birth, Thomas expressed his desire to see new life bring his family back together after nearly a year of conflict.
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“Congratulations – I’m very happy for you both and I hope this baby will bring you all the joy in the world,” he said. “All newborn babies bring entire families happiness and joy – they can even bring broken families back together again.”
Speaking directly of his desires, Thomas added that he hopes his half-sister’s first child, who does not yet have a name, will help fix the bad blood that still resides between the Duchess of Sussex and Thomas Markle Sr., as the two have not spoken since before the May 19th royal wedding.
Royal fans will recall that after being caught up in a staged paparazzi scandal, Meghan’s father gave dozens of scathing interviews and even released a portion of a letter his daughter had written him expressing her distress at the state of their relationship.
“Hopefully this baby will help mend the family rift – we’d all love to meet the baby and become a part of his life – especially my dad,” Thomas Jr. said. “I’m hoping that becoming a mother will open up her eyes and shed light on what family means. Maybe she will see the importance of family now – and open up to my dad and let him be part of the baby’s life.”
“She should let the family come over and meet the new baby…I think everybody should be invited over to see the new baby,” he added. “Hopefully she won’t be unfair and withhold him from everybody – I hope she’ll reach out and make the baby a part of everybody’s life.”
Although Meghan’s father stated that he was “proud” of his daughter in a statement released after the royal baby’ birth, sources close to the retired Hollywood lighting director claimed that the milestone event in his daughter’s life left him “stunned and heartbroken,” as he had learned of the news not by a phone call, but rather along with the rest of the general public via official statements released by the palace.
Meanwhile, the duchess’ outspoken estranged half-sister, Samantha Markle, has not yet spoken out about the birth.