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Meet the Markles: Who’s in Meghan’s family?

She's set to become the latest member of the royal family (provided she walks down the aisle before Kate welcomes her third child), but how much do you know about Meghan Markle's own roots?

Mum: Doria Radlan

A yoga instructor and social worker, Meghan is clearly proud of her mum Doria’s achievements, posting a heartfeld Mother’s Day tribute to her on Instagram last year.

Meghan claims mum Doria is a source of inspiration. Photo: Instagram
Meghan claims mum Doria is a source of inspiration. Photo: Instagram

“Always proud of this beautiful woman,” she captioned a snap of them together. “This was when she graduated from USC with a masters in social work. Honouring my mom, Doria, and all the amazing mamas in our lives.”

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Doria reportedly divorced Meghan’s dad Thomas when she was just six years old, with the actress speaking openly about the struggles she felt growing up mixed race.

No word on what Doria thinks of Prince Harry. Photo: Instagram
No word on what Doria thinks of Prince Harry. Photo: Instagram

"'What are you?' A question I get asked every week of my life, often every day,” she told Elle in 2015. “I… give them what they're after: 'My dad is Caucasian and my mum is African American. I'm half black and half white'.”

Dad: Thomas Markle

Former lighting director Thomas was the one who set Meghan on her path to the bright lights of Hollywood, with the future actress visiting her dad while he worked on the set of TV shows such as Married with Children.

Not shy about giving her dad a shout out on Twitter, Thomas is said to have met Prince Harry during one of the royal’s visits to Canada, and is said to be “pretty happy about Harry”.

Meghan's dad has met Harry, and is said to be proud the pair are dating. Photo: Instagram
Meghan's dad has met Harry, and is said to be proud the pair are dating. Photo: Instagram

"My dad knew about [the relationship] from the start,” Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Jnr told the Daily Mail.
* Meghan’s toilet paper wedding dress
* Why the Queen won’t be at Harry and Meghan’s wedding
“He first met Prince Harry about six months ago out in Toronto. He goes once every couple of months – [Meghan and Thomas Markle Sr] are very close and they stay in close contact."

Half brother: Thomas Markle Jnr

They were once close, but sources say the half-siblings have now drifted apart – with the controversy surrounding Thomas Jnr’s arrest in January not helping the estrangement.

The window fitter, who shares the same dad as Meghan and was 15 when she was born, was accused of holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head after a fight, with reports he could be facing five years in jail.

Thomas' arrest surely wouldn't have gone down well in royal circles. Photo: Supplied
Thomas' arrest surely wouldn't have gone down well in royal circles. Photo: Supplied

Despite the scandal surrounding the dad-of-two, Thomas has made his feelings on his little sister's much publicised relationship very clear.

"She's very much in love and she's obviously happy because if she wasn't happy, she wouldn't be there,” Thomas Jnr told the Mail Online.

“So she is happy and [the relationship is] taking off, which is good, and I wish them all the best. I couldn't be happier for her."

Half sister: Samantha Grant

One family member who might not get an invite to the royal wedding is Meghan’s half sister, Samantha.

Samantha, who shares the same dad as the Suits star and is Thomas Markle Jr’s sister, hit the headlines earlier this year after she revealed she was planning to write a tell-all book titled The Diary of Princess Pushy's Sister.

Samantha has spoken openly about the rift between her and younger sister, Meghan. Photo: Facebook
Samantha has spoken openly about the rift between her and younger sister, Meghan. Photo: Facebook

Former model and mum-of-three Samantha claims she raised Meghan for 12 years, blasting the starlet as a “social climber”, and unleashing a Twitter tirade in March that took aim at the starlet's humanitarian efforts.

“She [Meghan] is the one with the hardened heart. I've always been supportive of her but I won't enable the lies and hypocrisy,” she wrote in a TIME article.

Samantha, who is wheelchair bound after her battle with multiple sclerosis, hit out at Meghan in a series of tweets. Photo: Twitter
Samantha, who is wheelchair bound after her battle with multiple sclerosis, hit out at Meghan in a series of tweets. Photo: Twitter

Samantha's outbursts have seen her criticised as a fame seeker, with radio hosts Kyle and Jackie O even hanging up on her during an interview to promote her book in April.

Pets: Guy and Bogart

One thing Meghan might have bonded with the Queen over is their love of dogs.

The actress’ pet pooches are frequent stars on her social media, with Meghan speaking about her fur babies on the The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

We wonder who takes care of Meghan's fur babies when she's at the palace with Harry? Photo: Instagram
We wonder who takes care of Meghan's fur babies when she's at the palace with Harry? Photo: Instagram

"Bogs is about three years old now and I started to see that he loves the company of people, but just like I love the company of dogs, I don’t want to be around solely dogs all day long so I realised he might like to have a companion,” revealed Meghan.

“Guy is a Beagle and 17 pounds [7.7 kg]. He’s probably about four or five-years-old based on his teeth. They are thick as thieves those two."

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