Thomas Markle says Meghan's interview with Ellen 'embarrassed everyone in the UK'
Meghan Markle's father has stated his daughter's recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres involved "stupid stunts" and stated that her actions "embarrassed everyone in the UK".
The 77-year-old told the Sunday Mirror he thought the segment, in which Meghan carried out pranks on members of the public, was "no way to behave".
Read more: GMB receives Ofcom complaints after Thomas Markle interview
He added: "The whole thing was kind of embarrassing. It was certainly embarrassing for the royal family. It’s embarrassing for her as well. I suspect it embarrassed everyone in the UK, too.
“She’s putting herself out there as a duchess but I’ve never seen a duchess behave this way, doing stupid stunts."
Thomas also criticised his daughter's new children's book The Bench, which she promoted during her interview with DeGeneres.
The book, illustrated by Christian Robinson, traces the relationship between a father and son from the perspective of the child's mother.
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"That is an adult’s book, it’s for her husband," Thomas said. "No kid would be interested. The only thing interesting for a kid in that book is the picture of the dog on the cover.”
Despite mixed reviews, the book has been a commercial success, shooting to number one in the children's picture book category of the New York Times Best Seller list.
The relationship between Meghan Markle and her father fractured around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, which Thomas ultimately did not attend.
Days before the ceremony, he was accused of staging paparazzi photos of himself for money.
Read more: Meghan wanted to protect father from press intrusion
He has subsequently given numerous interviews criticising his daughter and their relationship was damaged further in the wake of the publication by the Mail on Sunday of parts of a letter she sent to him.
The UK High Court ruled in February that the publication was "manifestly excessive and hence unlawful" in a decision currently being appealed by Associated Newspapers.
