For years, British tabloid coverage invited readers to understand Meghan Markle’s estrangement from her father as yet another chapter in the Meghan Markle saga.

Shame on the uncaring daughter who had abandoned her aging father and denied him access to his grandchildren. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, offered no explanation for the estrangement, leaving a gap for the media to fill with endless supposition and speculation.

Now, however, readers are privy to both facts and allegations that push back on the narrative long established by publications like the Mirror, The Sun and the Daily Mail, the newspaper whose reporter, Caroline Graham, developed a close, longstanding friendship with Thomas Markle while writing frequently on his estrangement from his daughter.

We now know that in 2019, British police gave the Duchess a letter containing allegations about her father.

Meghan says that at the time, she had believed authorities were investigating the claims and that she was told not to go public with them due to the potential legal implications. In her statement, she said her decision to keep her father away from her children was about protecting them more than punishing him.

The allegations of Thomas Markle’s criminal behaviour do not just ask us to reconsider Meghan’s actions. They ask us to reconsider the media narrative through which we understood them.

Thomas Markle’s media attacks

Thomas Markle has been a recurring media presence since Prince Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding. His estrangement from his daughter quickly became a tabloid staple as he made himself readily available to media outlets, and was reportedly paid to do so — itself an ethical violation for most reputable news........

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