Meghan Markle, as many know, is estranged from all of her immediate family, except for her mother, Doria. Indeed, the Duchess of Sussex is embroiled in a legal battle with her half-sister, Samantha.
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Over the years, Meghan has said very little about her family, but her father, Thomas, and her half-brother, Thomas Jr, have both spoken about her upbringing and such. Just before Meghan married Prince Harry, Meghan’s brother spoke about her ‘winning the lottery’ as she was marrying a prince.
He also noted that when their father won the lottery when she was a child, it helped her a lot in life.
Thomas Markle won the lottery in 1990
Thomas Markle won £560,000 ($750,000) in a Californian state lottery in 1990, when Meghan was just nine years old. The actress’s half-brother, Thomas Jr, spoke about the impact the money had on Meghan’s life.
Per The Independent, he said in 2017:
If Meg marries Harry, she’ll have won the lottery of life, but Dad winning the lottery helped us all.
According to Thomas Jr, their father spent some of the winnings on Meghan’s education, allowing her to go to ‘the best schools and get the best training’.
That money allowed Meg to go to the best schools and get the best training. Meg is someone who has always had laser focus. She knows what she wants, and she doesn't stop until she gets it.
Thomas Markle was generous to all of his children. According to the Daily Mail, he also used his lottery winnings to help his son set up a flower shop, and he bought Samantha a car.
Thomas Markle declared bankruptcy in 2016
Despite winning $750,000, Thomas Markle filed for bankruptcy in 2016 after investing in a jewellery business. This investment failed and cost Markle a large sum.
As reported by The Mirror, it has been suggested that Thomas Markle didn’t walk Meghan down the aisle at her wedding as he was embarrassed about his financial situation and was worried the Royal Family would find out.
In 2018, Samantha criticised her half-sister, claiming she didn’t help their father while he was in a difficult financial position. She told Inside Edition, as per The Mirror:
He was very clear with her about the fact that he needed some help and by his report, twice, she flatly refused. I live on a lot less than she does and he really had to chew on his pride to call me and ask me for help.
However, according to legal documents released in 2020, Meghan had been consistently sending her father money from 2014 until she married Prince Harry in 2018.
Read more:
Meghan Markle's father criticises her Netflix show: 'She's trying so hard to be perfect'
Meghan Markle's father is worried about Archie and Lilibet: 'They will start to ask questions'
Meghan Markle’s father wishes to heal his relationship with Meghan
Sources used:
Daily Mail: ‘When a lottery win becomes a curse! Meet the winners whose lives went downhill after scooping their huge jackpots’
The Independent: ‘Meghan Markle's father won $750,000 in the lottery when she was nine’
Mirror: ‘Tragic details of Meghan Markle's parents' troubled lives from bankruptcy to health woes’
