Ann Widdecombe had predicted Meghan Markle would be 'trouble' for the Royal Family years before the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry left the UK. The former Conservative Party MP and minister, who was found dead at her Dartmoor home on July 8, 2026, made her thoughts clear during an appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2018.
Widdecombe's Comments on Celebrity Big Brother
During the show, Made in Chelsea star Ashley James was applying makeup to Widdecombe when they began discussing Prince Harry's then-fiancée, Meghan Markle. While James praised Meghan's beauty, Widdecombe expressed a starkly different opinion. 'I think she's trouble,' Widdecombe said at the time. When Rachel Johnson asked why, Widdecombe replied: 'Background, attitude, I worry.' She also noted she was 'uneasy' because Meghan had been married before and was older than Prince Harry.
Death and Investigation
Widdecombe was found dead with serious injuries at her home in Haytor, Dartmoor, on Thursday, July 8, 2026. Concerns were raised when she failed to appear for a scheduled TV appearance on Wednesday afternoon. A 26-year-old male suspect was arrested in Newton Abbot a day after her death but has since been released from custody and is no longer part of the investigation.
Devon and Cornwall Police Assistant Chief Constable Matt Longman stated: 'We believe the attack took place on Wednesday July 8 at around 12.30pm. Our inquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male.' He added that the death is being treated as suspicious but 'we do not believe there is a wider risk to the public.' Authorities have confirmed the investigation is not being treated as terrorism, and there is no evidence of a politically motivated crime. A neighbor reported seeing a suspicious van and a white British man in hiking clothes in the area during the early hours of the morning before the murder investigation was launched.
