MEGHAN’S grandmother would be “turning in her grave” over some of the claims in her new Netflix show, her dad has said.
Thomas Markle, 80, accused his daughter of “faking it for the cameras” and “trying too hard to stay in the limelight” in a withering review of With Love, Meghan.
In the second episode of the series, Meghan fired back at the US Office star Mindy Kaling: “It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now.”
In response to this, Mr Markle told The Mail on Sunday: “My mum loved Meghan very much but she would be so disappointed to hear that Meghan no longer wants to use the name ‘Markle’.
“My mother was proud to be a Markle. So am I.
“Meghan never had a problem with the Markle name until she met Prince Harry.”
Mr Markle has not yet seen the full show but has watched various clips.
At one point, Meghan claims she was a “latchkey kid” who grew up eating TV dinners.
She says: “I grew up with a lot of fast food and also a lot of TV tray dinners. It feels like such a different time but that was so normal with the microwavable kids meals.”
However, Mr Markle claims Meghan lived with him full-time from the age of 11 until she went off to university at 18.
The idea Meghan was a “latchkey” child troubles Mr Markle, who says he would personally pick Meghan up from school every day or send a car to fetch her if he was too busy.
He admitted they occasionally ate TV dinners, but asked: “Which family doesn’t?”
Money was never an issue, Mr Markle added – claiming they would eat out at least three times a week.
And despite Meghan’s mum Doria being a great cook, the Duchess of Sussex didn’t show a great deal of interest in cooking as a child.
SAVAGED BY CRITICS
The backlash comes after Meghan admitted several “mistakes” over her Netflix cooking show, which has been widely savaged by critics and branding experts.
With Love, Meghan launched on Tuesday after being delayed from January because of the Los Angeles wildfires.
Just hours later, Meghan officially launched her As Ever brand, with her updated website revealing her first products were her raspberry jam, and the flower sprinkles she repeatedly promotes throughout the show.
But the brand has continued to be dogged by controversy after the mayor of a small Majorcan town accused her of “plagiarism” over similarities between her logo and their 14th century coat of arms.
And the eight-part series, which sees the former Suits actress give hosting tips and cooking with her celebrity friends, has been savaged by critics.
One review in The Guardian described it as a “gormless lifestyle filler” and “so pointless it might be the Sussexes’ last TV show”.
While The Telegraph gave it two stars and branded it “insane” and an “exercise in narcissism”.
The former head of ITV Daytime Dianne Nelmes, who launched This Morning, also said the show has a “major flaw”.
She told MailOnline: “With Love has a major flaw. The concept is outdated.
“Today young women look to TikTok, YouTube and social media for their lifestyle gurus and celebrity tips.
“Meghan is so far removed from the reality of the women viewers who her show is targeting that I wonder what creative thinking went into the early development.”
Now Meghan, 43, has admitted she makes “mistakes” but insisted that she is “learning every day”.
