Meghan and her guest Sara Blakely discussed the significant role her father’s father played in her upbringing and business in the final episode of Meghan’s podcast series, Confessions of a Female Founder, in light of the Duchess’ ongoing feud with her father, Thomas Markle.
In light of Meghan’s, 43, ongoing separation from her own father Thomas Markle Senior, 80, the Duchess and Sara Blakely, the founder of SPANX, engage in an emotional conversation about the crucial role the businesswoman’s father played in shaping her company and mindset.
Meghan’s relationship with her father, who she once shared a strong bond with, ended just before the wedding in 2018. Before the big day, Thomas was allegedly paid to participate in staged paparazzi shots.
Meghan has claimed that she discovered out about this “through a tabloid,” despite initially being the one who was meant to give her away after suffering a heart attack. He later claimed that he had turned on his “stupid and hammy” as a result of the stunt.
Meghan and Oprah were still completely separated three years later, claiming that she is “very sad” and that “I’ve lost my father.”
Meghan’s father, who currently resides with Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Junior, has not made any improvements.
Meghan expressed serious enthusiasm in her conversation with Sara Blakely about how significant a role the SPANX’s founder’s father played in her journey despite the difficulties she faces in her relationship with her own father.
Sara explained that “SPANX never had a board.” My dad has been on the board for 16 years, so he would visit four times each year, meet with the leadership team, and discuss the company.
Meghan responded, “Wow, wow,” before returning, “I can’t remember reading, or maybe you told me, that your father would ask, “What did you fail at this week?” around the dinner table. What did you struggle with today? meaning that it doesn’t matter if you tried, you at least tried, you tried beautifully, and you never regret failing. Was he asking the same questions when he began giving business advice four times a year?
Sara responded, “I was very fortunate to have a parent who thought very carefully.” I trusted him because he is a lawyer, but he’s also very intelligent, which was very important to me. My brother and I were constantly challenged by him to redefine failure as a family. My brother is four years my junior. My brother sold his business after creating a product in a field he is unfamiliar with. In our home, therefore, something happened.
My dad is a litigator, my mom is a stay-at-home mother, and my dad is a litigator, and they really helped us have something in our home.
Meghan responded, “Wow, that’s huge, huge, and you had equal parts of that pragmatism and your mother’s creative side as well, so you had both pieces.”
The emotional conversation nodded back to how Meghan spoke glowingly about her own “thoughtful, inspiring, hardworking Daddy” long before their estrangement. In a lifestyle blog—The Tig—that the Duchess used to run before her marriage to Prince Harry, Meghan more than once paid tribute to the important role Thomas Senior played in her upbringing.
She described how Thomas would take her school drama productions beyond their initial stages as a lighting director, with Meghan later becoming a successful actress herself, making them “as grand as a Broadway show.”
She also evocatively recalled some of the pair’s early childhood memories, such as “Our club sandwich and fruit smoothie tradition post my tap and ballet class,” which he resolutely took me to on Saturday mornings after working as a lighting director for 75+ hours per week.
Despite their long estrangement, for his part Thomas Senior – who has never met grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, three – has said he would love to reunite and bring the “whole family together”, though he slated the release of Meghan’s recent show With Love, Meghan for Netflix, saying his daughter has “never been authentic”.
Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, 68, claimed she was left “absolutely stunned” when her ex-boyfriend took part in the staged photos, adding that parenting is not what you do. That is not parenting, “.
Whilst Meghan no longer has a relationship with her own father, who has suffered a series of health issues in the intervening years since they last spoke, including a stroke, she has said that seeing Prince Harry parent their two children “is the most beautiful thing to watch”.
Confessions of a Female Founder is Meghan’s second foray into the podcasting world, following Archetypes, which was released through the couple’s deal with Spotify back in 2022.
Source: Mirror
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