Skip to Main Content
Should palace officials have done more to prepare Meghan Markle's family for the royal wedding?
The Current

Should palace officials have done more to prepare Meghan Markle's family for the royal wedding?

The world's gaze falls on the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. But that intense scrutiny has been on Markle's family for months, says a veteran royal biographer, and the palace could have done more to help them cope.

Family ill-prepared to deal with media attention, says author

CBC Radio ·
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attend a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Feb. 13, 2018. (Andrew Milligan/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Listen18:34

Read Story Transcript

The royal wedding has been "hijacked" by Meghan Markle's family, but palace officials should have done more to prepare them for the inevitable media storm, according to a veteran royal biographer.

"Meghan's family are very normal people, living very normal lives," said Penny Junor, whose books include Prince Harry: Brother, Soldier, Son.

"She has now stepped into a totally, totally abnormal life and they have been drawn into it."

Meghan Markle's entry into the royal family doesn't mean we're in a post-racial world, Gina Yashere tells Laura Lynch 1:15

Thomas Markle, the bride's father, generated headlines this week over apparent staged paparazzi photos. He was set to walk her down the aisle but will not be able to travel from the U.S. to attend the wedding due to health problems. Prince Charles will instead walk her down the aisle.

Markle's half-siblings, Thomas Markle Jr., 51, and Samantha Grant, 53, were not invited to the wedding. Her mother, Doria Ragland, will be in attendance.

Comedian Gina Yashere had one piece of advice for Meghan Markle: 'Get out, it's not too late!" (ginayashere.com/press-photos)
Meghan Markle fits into the European ideal of beauty, Gina Yashere tells Laura Lynch. 2:19

They were ill-prepared for the media attention that came with the engagement, Junor said, and the palace "missed a trick" in not advising them.

"The palace could, or should, have extended some kind of help," she said.

"How to deal with with paparazzi on your lawn, being followed by them. How to deal with all the offers of money to be interviewed.

"I think that ordinary people don't really quite know what hit them when they get doorstepped by the media."

This segment was produced by The Current's Julie Crysler.

More from this episode

Related Stories

Comments

To encourage thoughtful and respectful conversations, first and last names will appear with each submission to CBC/Radio-Canada's online communities (except in children and youth-oriented communities). Pseudonyms will no longer be permitted.

By submitting a comment, you accept that CBC has the right to reproduce and publish that comment in whole or in part, in any manner CBC chooses. Please note that CBC does not endorse the opinions expressed in comments. Comments on this story are moderated according to our Submission Guidelines. Comments are welcome while open. We reserve the right to close comments at any time.