A source “close to the Royals” has told the DailyMail, “If anyone can talk some sense into [Meghan’s] dad, it’s Doria.”
To recap: Thomas Markle, 74, colluded with paparazzi to stage photos of himself, went on British TV to talk about a private conversation he had with Prince Harry (for a $10,000 interview fee), and most recently called the Royal family a cult, comparing them to Scientologists.
Now the media are painting Doria as the only person who can pull Thomas into line.
The thing is: it’s not her job to sort out her ex-husband (who is a grown adult).
All too often the emotional labour of a relationship is left up to the woman – and not her ex-husband, who is quite capable of acting like a decent human being.
A 2016 UNSW Business School report found that “the burden of emotional labour falls disproportionately on women,” which can lead to burnout, poor physical health and emotional conflict.
So no, Doria doesn’t need to jeopardise her own health to talk sense into her ex-husband, who she divorced when Meghan was six years old.
Thomas needs to take responsibility for his own actions and be a decent father to his daughter. It’s actually quite easy to not do tell-all interviews on British TV or stage paparazzi photos. I do it all the time.
