Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

The royal family

Thomas Markle very ill

903 replies

Viviennemary · 03/12/2025 20:14

I've just read Thomas Markle is in hospital intensive care. He has been treated poorly by Meghan. I doubt if the pair will have anything to say about this. Though they've always plenty to say about a lot of things. Doubt they'll be rushing to his bedside.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
12
PinkPanther57 · 11/12/2025 14:03

If she’s honestly written, she knows whatever she said will likely end up in the press so will have had favourable ‘leaks’ in mind on penning it.

As you say she’s either ‘non contact’ or she’s not. If she genuinely wanted to communicate surely picking up phone or zoom, etc, best.

thenightsky · 11/12/2025 15:40

TheAutumnCrow · 11/12/2025 05:29

It’s mostly an American expression really. Jonestown was in Guyana but the cult were from locations in the US and moved there. Their culture (eg the Kool-Aid that was on hand) was American; and so is this expression because of the huge coverage of the story in the US at the time.

@Sleetandice533 If you didn’t know, you didn’t know, it’s ok. It’s entirely up to you. It was a long time ago - I just happen to be so old that I remember it. I don’t think cults and coercion were very well understood back then, although an interest in psychological profiling was growing within the FBI in the US.

I'm old too and remember seeing the aftermath on the news at the time, filmed from a low flying plane.

I watched a documentary series on (maybe) netflix a few years ago with actual footage from journalists who had been invited by Rev Jim Jones when he was building the town up in the jungle.

NewAgeNewMe · 11/12/2025 15:57

NewAgeNewMe · 03/12/2025 22:20

I wouldn’t have anything to do with him if I was Meghan. I wouldn’t have anything to do with Meghan (or Harry) if I was the RF.

IMO the apple didn’t fall far from the tree where Markle senior and junior are concerned.

Reposting this as I think this stands. I am not sure if I would have got in touch with him if I was Meghan. I’m torn, because, in reality, because she’s damned whichever way. Also I wouldn’t offer olive branches if was the RF.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 11/12/2025 16:18

Its crises management mode for someone who doesn’t have the most stellar reputation

Without a doubt, @Thedom, but what beats me is why she's bothering when keeping a dignified silence might have served her much better (or rather it would if she had any dignity)

It's well seen that Meghan burns through relationships and that the A list dream is over, so why pour fuel on the flames by feeding the story unless attention - any attention - is what she craves?

Ohpleeeease · 11/12/2025 16:55

CurlewKate · 11/12/2025 11:00

Why do you think he will bring more transparency?

Just an impression from the way he’s approaching things. I think he’s listening and taking the temperature, so to speak. We’ll see.

Ohpleeeease · 11/12/2025 16:56

TwotierChristmas · 11/12/2025 11:19

@TheAutumnCrow thanks for that info about the kool aid how sinister.

@Sleetandice533 I agree with much of what your saying.
I can't believe that h and m still get more traction here than Andrew ,Sarah etc.

Start a thread about them then, and hope somebody comes along who blindly defends them in the face of all the evidence of wrong doing. That should do it.

NaturalW · 11/12/2025 23:21

Sleetandice533 · 11/12/2025 06:34

Obviously I respect your differing opinions Ohpleeeease.

It’s perhaps best if we agree to disagree?

I think how the leak emerged at a very critical moment is extremely suspicious and an important question to ask. And I frankly don’t understand how many people are not asking about it!

I disagree that BP have always remained silent in the past. For sure, they like to give the appearance they do. But in reality they frequently “speak” through friends or make their views known through sympathetic third parties in other ways. I think a lot of hurt and distress is caused by their methods of operating actually.

As for outsiders not being treated the same, as blood family; of course, that is bound to happen to an extent but marrying in involves a job too, even they call it The Firm, and there need to be transparent professional standards that apply both ways surely, whether you have just joined as an outsider or not. And these should be subject to external review.

I think we all put a lot of trust in the RF in handling their own staff, finances, internal enquiries, but when matters have come come to light in the past, BP and the RF have not always shown to be operating correctly, in fact they have covered up alleged criminality, so why does everyone just happily accept their side of things without questioning further?

Jason Knauf hasn’t remained that discreet about his time working with M&H; he may not have been particularly direct, but he has appeared on quite a few interviews defending the RF and I wouldn’t exactly call him objective. In fact, his 60 minute Australian interview I found to be a highly strategic choice. And he is American so will have good PR contacts there presumably? Once H&M’s reputation.was sullied in Oz, UK, and USA, the main English-speaking nations, they were essentially cancelled.

What is curious is that normally, if a member, or ex member. of the RF’s staff breaks cover, and gives interviews, say a butler or a spokesperson, they are cut off by the Palace immediately and quite ruthlessly. But in this instance, JK was given a job and an award. Does no one else find this strange? Seriously?

The RF control how their image is spun by asking people to sign NDAs, by making deals about press access, eg Andrew, Giuffre and ABC, using stories about different members of the family as leverage, leaking stories through friends and favoured broadcasters, who are then rewarded through awards, or gifts. Didn’t King Charles buy Fawcett a house in Highgate? Basically they can throw money at an issue to make it go away! Allegedly £12 million to avoid a court case in Andrew’s case.

Why are you all so prepared to believe them so uncritically?

We wouldn’t accept these standards from other public bodies that are meant to serve us. Nor would they be allowed to investigate themselves.

Why are you all so prepared to believe them so uncritically?

I don’t as I said I am a republican. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

But what I have observed you do again and again on this thread is try to conflate the BP bullying review and shocking behaviour of some members of the RF with reports from US citizens as employees of MM on US soil of her bullying and belittling behaviours in an attempt to divert from her shocking treatment of people just trying to earn a crust.

Why are you doing this?

Why are you attempting (poorly) to fudge and erase the personal testimonies of the dozens of individual victims and witnesses who have suffered emotional violence in their workplace directly from Meghan Markle in the US - some
of whom have had to resort to professional intervention to alleviate the mental injury inflicted on them by Meghan Markle. These testimonies were collated by separate and independent investigations by multiple, credible, US industry publications who would have ensured their reports were legally watertight.

Why are you so determined to silence these individuals - what is each of their individual motivations to lie and why would multiple and separate credible publications expose their business and reputation to obvious defamation and libel claims from a highly litigious couple?

Why are you all so prepared to believe so uncritically that MM is innocent of these claims by dozens of her own US staff employed in the US?

NaturalW · 11/12/2025 23:26

Puzzledandpissedoff · 11/12/2025 16:18

Its crises management mode for someone who doesn’t have the most stellar reputation

Without a doubt, @Thedom, but what beats me is why she's bothering when keeping a dignified silence might have served her much better (or rather it would if she had any dignity)

It's well seen that Meghan burns through relationships and that the A list dream is over, so why pour fuel on the flames by feeding the story unless attention - any attention - is what she craves?

Because she’s emotionally reactive, deluded and grandiose enough to STILL believe she can spin a false narrative and turn around her collapsed reputation with her word salad when the whole wide world has watched and judged her direct actions, behaviours and the disingenuous words that fall directly from her own mouth consistently for many many years and have made up their own minds what sort of character she is.

ThePoshUns · 12/12/2025 07:24

Agree . I am sure in her head she thinks she will be able to lie and spin her way out of this to come out looking good, when in reality there is only one thing she can do and that is be the better person, go and see him and then say nothing or give a brief statement about how he is then request their privacy. I just can’t see her doing that though.

MrsFinkelstein · 12/12/2025 07:45

This whole episode is just tasteless, and neither party are covering themselves in any glory. Both need to stop talking to the media and just talk directly to each other privately, and keep it private.

Agree with @ThePoshUns comment above. At the moment, the media are in control of the narrative and regardless of whoever many statements Meghan releases to the press she isn't getting that control away from them. So stop playing their game.

Justdancevance · 12/12/2025 08:16

Thomas Markle shouldn’t speak to the media, but he’s broke, in the Philippines, after going through life changing surgery.

Unless Meghan pays him, gives him an allowance and asks him to stop talking to the media, I can’t see any change unfortunately.

BoxingHares22 · 12/12/2025 08:37

If she had worked at keeping a relationship with him in the first place, even at arm’s length things would have been very different. If she’d taken care of his needs and given him some support , visited him sometimes and let him meet her children none of this vitriol and spite wouod have happened. Also his other children. wouldn’t have gained any leverage.

kirinm · 12/12/2025 09:17

BoxingHares22 · 12/12/2025 08:37

If she had worked at keeping a relationship with him in the first place, even at arm’s length things would have been very different. If she’d taken care of his needs and given him some support , visited him sometimes and let him meet her children none of this vitriol and spite wouod have happened. Also his other children. wouldn’t have gained any leverage.

Nobody is owed a relationship. Perhaps if he stopped betraying her she’d want to work on a relationship but honestly, would you?

there is an entire board on this forum supporting people who are NC with family - do people go on that board and berate members for going NC or is that just saved for MM?

threesocksmorgan · 12/12/2025 09:31

Justdancevance · 12/12/2025 08:16

Thomas Markle shouldn’t speak to the media, but he’s broke, in the Philippines, after going through life changing surgery.

Unless Meghan pays him, gives him an allowance and asks him to stop talking to the media, I can’t see any change unfortunately.

so its blackmail. she has to pay him to shut up?

should KC do that to shut H up?

NewAgeNewMe · 12/12/2025 09:48

kirinm · 12/12/2025 09:17

Nobody is owed a relationship. Perhaps if he stopped betraying her she’d want to work on a relationship but honestly, would you?

there is an entire board on this forum supporting people who are NC with family - do people go on that board and berate members for going NC or is that just saved for MM?

As I’ve said I’d have nothing to do with him if I was Meghan. Equally I’d have nothing to do with the Sussexes (or the Yorks) if I was the RF.

As you say no one is owed a relationship.

simpsonthecat · 12/12/2025 10:05

threesocksmorgan · 12/12/2025 09:31

so its blackmail. she has to pay him to shut up?

should KC do that to shut H up?

Exactly.
He tried that before... I will give weekly interviews to the media unless you let me see the children.

BoxingHares22 · 12/12/2025 10:06

threesocksmorgan · 12/12/2025 09:31

so its blackmail. she has to pay him to shut up?

should KC do that to shut H up?

I think he’s being paid by the DM for giving photos etc and that’s paying his bills.

Justdancevance · 12/12/2025 10:20

threesocksmorgan · 12/12/2025 09:31

so its blackmail. she has to pay him to shut up?

should KC do that to shut H up?

Meghan wants to control the narrative, her dad needs money and is prepared to speak to the Daily Mail for money,

she effectively wants him to sign an NDA, but he wants compensation to do. Some people may say that’s blackmail, some people may say as he took out huge loans to send her to college and support her it would be the best and kindest thing to do as there’s such an imbalance in their circumstances and he’s not spending the money on drugs and hookers but hospital bills

kirinm · 12/12/2025 10:32

Justdancevance · 12/12/2025 10:20

Meghan wants to control the narrative, her dad needs money and is prepared to speak to the Daily Mail for money,

she effectively wants him to sign an NDA, but he wants compensation to do. Some people may say that’s blackmail, some people may say as he took out huge loans to send her to college and support her it would be the best and kindest thing to do as there’s such an imbalance in their circumstances and he’s not spending the money on drugs and hookers but hospital bills

Only people who want to attack Meghan would say that because her parents contributed to the cost of university - which vast numbers of parents do - she is indebted to him forever and he should be given money forever so he doesn’t slag her off in the press

I don’t believe for a second that posters here would expect this sort of stuff from anyone except Mm.

bluegreygreen · 12/12/2025 10:40

@kirinm In this case I fully agree with @MrsFinkelstein

This whole episode is just tasteless, and neither party are covering themselves in any glory. Both need to stop talking to the media and just talk directly to each other privately, and keep it private.

I could envisage a situation where I thought that it would be better if a multimillionaire who talked publicly about philanthropy and family also publicly supported a family member.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/12/2025 11:41

This whole episode is just tasteless, and neither party are covering themselves in any glory. Both need to stop talking to the media and just talk directly to each other privately, and keep it private

Spot on as usual, @MrsFinkelstein; frankly the whole thing's starting to look like something off Jeremy Kyle

NewAgeNewMe · 12/12/2025 12:19

Tbf a lot of royal family shenanigans could easily be on Jeremy Kyle. The dodgy uncle and his grabby ex wife for a start.

PinkPanther57 · 12/12/2025 12:19

Puzzledandpissedoff · 12/12/2025 11:41

This whole episode is just tasteless, and neither party are covering themselves in any glory. Both need to stop talking to the media and just talk directly to each other privately, and keep it private

Spot on as usual, @MrsFinkelstein; frankly the whole thing's starting to look like something off Jeremy Kyle

Starting?…

There’s a recent article in the Times that’s sympathetic to MM on this latest debacle.

TM has said how he adored M beyond all else & the journalist has suggested he was then the architect of all the jealousy & spite coming from the step siblings. It’s not really a surprise if he worshipped her exclusively.

TM seems easily led & really not very bright, this makes him a very easy target especially now very ill, broke & vulnerable. Very sad all round.

Going NC re: MM is one thing after his earlier actions, but it seems to me MM had no plan to involve him with H or have him at the wedding in any capacity right from the start.

JSMill · 12/12/2025 12:55

BoxingHares22 · 12/12/2025 08:37

If she had worked at keeping a relationship with him in the first place, even at arm’s length things would have been very different. If she’d taken care of his needs and given him some support , visited him sometimes and let him meet her children none of this vitriol and spite wouod have happened. Also his other children. wouldn’t have gained any leverage.

Spot on.

My2cents1975 · 12/12/2025 13:45

Just to give some context. According to the American Journal of Public Health 66.5% of bankruptcies in the U.S. are tied to medical debt. Healthcare costs in the US are very very very expensive.

TM worked in television. The Hollywood writers' strike in 2023 highlighted the struggles of the teams behind the camera as industry professionals shared numbers of the meager pay and the rarity of any benefits.

IMHO, it would not be surprising if after years of declining health and thus work opportunities, years of medications, checkups and other medical bills that TM faces financial challenges.

Swipe left for the next trending thread