Misan Harriman Tells News Outlets to "Leave Her Alone" Over Coverage of Thomas Markle Case
Misan Harriman, a longtime friend of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has criticized news outlets for how they covered the criminal case involving her estranged father, Thomas Markle.
In a post on Twitter, Harriman wrote: "My God, leave her alone! Thanks for everyone who called this madness out!" He shared screenshots from the Instagram account Black British Culture, and Town & Country reported on the post.
The screenshots show a story from the Associated Press, the US news agency whose articles run in newspapers and broadcast outlets across the country. The story was titled "Judge jails Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, after he cut off his ankle monitor." An ankle monitor is an electronic bracelet that tracks where a person is. According to the screenshots, the image attached to the story changed from a photograph of Meghan to a mugshot of Thomas Markle, the police photo taken at booking.
He is a photographer who has documented many milestones in Meghan's life, including a portrait announcing that she was expecting her second child. His post was aimed at the way the images and headlines framed a story about her father, not at the case itself.
Meghan has not commented on her father's arrest. She did share a statement after the allegations against him first surfaced. In it, she wrote: "My sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children."
For American readers, the episode is a reminder of how a photo choice can shape a story. A headline and a picture can point readers toward a conclusion, even when the story is about a court case rather than a celebrity. Harriman's post is one person's public objection. It does not change the court process, and it does not speak for the family.
Thomas Markle and Meghan have been estranged for years, and the criminal case has drawn attention on both sides of the Atlantic. Meghan's statement is the only direct comment from her that has been reported so far. Her public silence on the arrest is consistent with that statement, which asked for justice and focused on children's safety.
