The Duchess of Sussex has been dealt a fresh blow after it was suggested that she could be 'dangerous for the monarchy'. Appearing on TalkTV on Thursday, Dickie Arbiter, former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, weighed in on Thomas Markle's recent arrest, following an attempt to cut off his ankle monitor.
Thomas Markle's arrest and bail breach
The Duchess's father, who was charged with one count of possession of child pornography last week, was detained once more after breaching the conditions of his bail. The 82-year-old, who was to remain under house arrest, had allegedly cut off his location-monitoring bracelet on Wednesday morning.
Speaking with Jeremy Kyle, Arbiter, who also worked with King Charles during his tenure as the Prince of Wales, was asked about the damage to the Royal Family.
Royal reaction to the scandal
"You worked for the King's mother. She'd be hanging her head in her hands right now, wouldn't she? It seems to be going from bad to worse for the royal family," Kyle remarked.
"Well, it does," Arbiter agreed. "The King is indirectly affected because his son is married to the daughter of somebody who has been charged with paedophilia.
"That must play on his mind, how he copes with it, how his son's coping with it, whether his son's keeping a low profile.
"It's a very difficult one for the royals, but at the same time, they are getting on with the job. We saw the King at the Festival of Remembrance and the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday.
"We saw him stand for almost half an hour at attention in front of the cenotaph during the cenotaph parade. He's just getting on with the job."
Monarchy's future and public sentiment
Reflecting on whether or not the monarchy could come to an end, Arbiter said, "I don't believe the monarchy is heading for the end of its days. You know, it's gone through all sorts of crises over the years. If you hark back to 1992, the Queen's annus horribilis, anything that could go wrong did.
"But the monarchy survived. I believe the monarchy will survive. And this is indirectly affecting the monarchy. It's the King's son who is married to Meghan Markle, whose father has been charged by federal authorities in the United States. They will get on with the job."
Kyle then noted, "But just looking at that mug shot of the grandfather of the fifth in line's kids, then the whole thing with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, Epstein, Spare, Oprah Winfrey, it's just sordid, man," before calling the state of the monarchy "sad".
"It is very sad, and I think it's very sad as far as the people of the UK are concerned and for those who follow the monarchy elsewhere in the world. It is very sad, but this is an individual who is not related to the monarchy. It is only by marriage, and people have issues through bad relatives who go off-piste. The monarchy will survive. The King's got to live with it, but he's carrying on with his job."
