The royal family is taking a “say nothing” approach to the recent family drama surrounding the newest member, Meghan Markle.
“The strategy at Kensington Palace, I understand, is, ‘Say nothing, don’t dignify these comments, these interviews, these articles with a response,” royal expert Katie Nicholl said to ET .
“I think the fact that he has continually spoken, he is not respecting her wish that he just stays quiet, [and that] has probably upset her more than anything else and possibly made a reconciliation from Meghan’s point of view almost impossible now.”
She added “I don’t think there are any concrete plans at the moment for Meghan to go out and see her father. I don’t even believe they have spoken on the phone since the day of the royal wedding.”
Her father, Thomas Markle, has been creating a media frenzy with various stunts, including setting up paparazzi photos of him embarking on a UK trip. A source close to Markle also says that he fabricated the heart surgery that supposedly kept him from the royal wedding. He has also made comments in the press that his daughter looks “terrified” by her new position as Prince Harry’s wife.
Markle and Prince Harry were wed at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in May, and Meghan assumed her new role as a royal family member immediately after.
Sources close to Meghan are saying that the drama is beginning to wear on her and while she wants to reach out to her father, she is afraid it would be turned into press fodder.
“She’s essentially not able to prevent these kind of stories,” a friend said to Us Weekly . “Now, everything has to go through official Palace. She doesn’t have her own publicist, she can’t make any comments on Twitter and she can’t reach out to him to tell him to stop speaking to the press. Her father’s comments have an effect on everything.”
The source adds that Markle is very “upset” by her father and doesn’t want to communicate with Thomas because he may exploit her. She allegedly hasn’t spoken to her father for two months.
Her new husband, Prince Harry, has notably never met Thomas Markle.
Markle is also allegedly “overwhelmed” by Palace rules and is still learning her new life as a royal. The palace has banned Meghan from using social media, taking selfies, and painting her nails dark, along with a lengthy list of wardrobe protocol.