Meghan Markle's dad gifted her 'customized' Christmas present that 'echoed' her reality

Meghan Markle was delighted to receive the thoughtful gift

Meghan Markle received 'customized' Christmas gift from dad
(Image credit: Getty)

Meghan Markle has shared how her father, Thomas, gave her a 'customized' Christmas present when she was younger. 


It's no secret that Meghan Markle has a strained relationship with her father, but it hasn't always been that way. 

In a resurfaced self-written piece for Elle, the former Suits star shared a heartwarming memory of her dad, Thomas Markle, trying to make Christmas special for her as a young child. 

The Duchess of Sussex described the cinematographer—with whom she is now estranged—in a notably positive light, detailing his creativity in gifting her a tailor-made present when she was just seven years old. 

"I had been fawning over a boxed set of Barbie dolls," she wrote. "It was called The Heart Family and included a mom doll, a dad doll, and two children. This perfect nuclear family was only sold in sets of white dolls or black dolls." 

Meghan Markle young

Meghan Markle had never felt represented as a mixed-race person growing up

(Image credit: Getty)

As the child of a black mother and a white father, Meghan had longed to play with toys that reflected her own experience as a mixed-race person. Knowing well how much this meant to his beloved daughter, Thomas decided to take matters into his own hands and rearrange the doll boxes. 

"On Christmas morning, swathed in glitter-flecked wrapping paper, there I found my Heart Family: a black mom doll, a white dad doll, and a child in each color. My dad had taken the sets apart and customized my family," she recalled. 

“I picture him standing there in Toys R Us, mums glaring at him for taking the toys apart, perhaps an employee saying 'Excuse me sir, you can’t do that'—as my dad carefully separated the boxed sets to make one that echoed my reality," she wrote in  another post. 

Unfortunately, it looks unlikely that Meghan and her father will be exchanging gifts this Christmas. The Duchess has not been in contact with Thomas since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, having reportedly fallen out with him over his alleged liaisons with the tabloids about her private life. 

Emma Dooney
Lifestyle News Writer

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.

Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.