Meghan Markle has had to adjust to a lot of major changes since joining the royal family and becoming a duchess, including starting life as a married woman and learning the ins and outs of royal protocol.
But unlike Kate Middleton, who also married into royalty, Markle has had to deal with unsupportive and outright hostile family members.
Her father and half-siblings have found every possible excuse to get their names in the press, while harshly criticizing Markle for just about everything.
Samantha Markle even accused her of "ignoring" their father, Thomas Sr., and said she would hold the duchess "responsible" if he passed away from a broken heart after being left out of Harry and Meghan's royal wedding.
Their father was just as harsh, telling the Daily Mail, "Perhaps it would be easier for Meghan if I died."
But Markle has at least one relative willing to stand up in her defense, and he made a bold statement about the rest of her "embarrassing" family this week.
Tyler Dooley, Meghan's 26-year-old nephew, called out her siblings Thomas Jr. and Samantha Markle for their attention-seeking habits.
"It was never like we had a super tight-knit family before to be honest," Dooley told the Sun.
"But the fact that now the whole world gets to see how my father or Aunt Samantha behaves, it is like an open wound for everyone to see."
Dooley, who works as a cannabis farmer in Oregon, says he's become isolated from his father Thomas Jr. and his aunt Samantha in recent years, and only keeps up with them through gossip columns.
"My father [Thomas Jr.] and Aunt Samantha have sold my grandfather [Thomas Sr.] out, sold my family out, sold Meghan out. It has been hard to deal with."
While Thomas Jr. has been less outspoken about Markle than her sister, it's certainly true that he hasn't been a good role model for his children or siblings.
He was arrested last year for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman in an argument, and Dooley says he's no longer in contact with his father.
"The only family I have left now are my mom, brother and grandfather," he revealed.
"We are still close and fine but for the rest of my family, their lives are lived out in the tabloids and that is the hardest thing."
And although Dooley is not on speaking terms with his aunt, he insists that Thomas Sr. is a "loving teddy bear," and much nicer than his spiteful comments about the duchess would suggest.
"He is a very kind man and showed us all a lot of love," Dooley said. "Even more for Meghan. He bent over backwards for her."
While Dooley doesn't engage in the kind of publicity seeking his relatives do, he's not exactly afraid of the spotlight.
He's set to appear in a new MTV reality series tilted The Royal World, which is apparently Downton Abbey meets The Real World, featuring a cast of young aristocrats and royal relatives.
[H/T: The Sun]
