Meghan Markle’s latest As Ever drop – chocolate bars in “weird” and “disgusting,” to quote social media, flavors – hasn’t gone down well.
And now she’s facing even more backlash for promoting not only the chocolates, but also her With Love, Meghan holiday special on Netflix and Prince Harry’s controversial Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview – all while her estranged father, 81, was in hospital undergoing a life-saving leg amputation.
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Meghan Markle Promotes Herself Amid Her Estranged Father’s Leg Amputation
On December 5th, the former Suits actress shared a behind-the-scenes video from the Netflix holiday special, which had dropped two days earlier, with the caption: “A little behind the scenes of the holiday special for ‘With Love, Meghan’ on @netflix . So much love for this crew and the magic we created together. Happy holidays!”
Her post went live as her estranged father Thomas Markle remained hospitalized in Cebu in the Philippines after a blood clot in his left leg cut off circulation. Doctors reportedly had to act fast, amputating the leg to save his life.
According to the Daily Mail, his son Thomas Markle Jr. said: “His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly. I took him to a local hospital and they did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated. There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death.”
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Has Meghan Markle Contacted Her Father Or Hasn't She?
Following reports of his hospitalization, Meghan's spokesperson claimed: "I can confirm she has reached out to her father." But Thomas Markle himself then said he had not heard from his daughter. On December 7th, the Mail on Sunday reported that he was "confused" by suggestions Meghan had made contact as he had not heard from her.
A December 8th report from The Independent cites a source close to the Duchess of Sussex, who said that the Mail's reporting was inaccurate, as she *had* tried to contact her father. The source claimed that if the Mail on Sunday had checked with her spokesperson they would have told them to ask her father to "check his email."
"The Mail made no attempt to contact the Duchess’s team, prior to publication to verify the claims in their report," the source reportedly said. "Had they asked – particularly in light of the quotes they relied upon from Mr Markle and hospital staff – we would simply have told them to ask Mr Markle to check his email," they added.
Internet Reactions
"She couldn't even reach out to her father in his time of need! What a selfish and unkind daughter she turned out to be!" exclaimed one person on an Express article about Meghan promoting her Netflix special amid her father's hospitalization.
"Most everyone in the world knows she is a cold-hearted, apathetic individual, totally uninterested in anyone's life except for her own and the elevation of it. In her narcissistic mind, funding her lifestyle takes precedence over family," slammed a second, as a third said: "She has proved without doubt she has no interest in her father, has ignored him for 8 years, ignored his past two heart attacks and stroke, so he obviously means nothing to her."
Others questioned the reports that she'd "reached out" to her father, with a fourth saying: "You can't promote a 'holiday' program and pretend you are all about family when you have not spoken to your own father for over 7 years without looking like a hypocrite. The whole 'reaching out' now looks like exactly what it is, another PR stunt." A fifth said: "She 'reached out' 2 days later because of the backlash and bad PR imo. She doesn't care."
Reddit Criticism
Criticism also erupted on Reddit – not just for the Netflix post, but for her decision to promote her As Ever chocolates and Prince Harry's Stephen Colbert appearance on her Instagram Story. One Reddit thread titled, "Her father is in intensive care, and Meghan reposted this to her Insta story," sparked many angry comments.
"I think we've all established she hasn't a heart," slammed one Reddit user. "[Expletive] doesn't care about her father, she's a stone-cold demon," echoed a second, as a third said: "[Expletive] doesn't care about anyone but her ego and delusions." "She's repulsive and desperate as hell," a fourth piled on.
"Meghan is a self-serving narcissistic sociopath with no emotions other than grandiose ones for herself," commented a fifth, as a sixth chimed in: "This is just horrible and insensitive behavior." A seventh added: "This woman has no soul and her husband's soul is just evil."
