EXCLUSIVE: Meghan Markle became physically closer to her family members when she and Prince Harry moved to California last year, but that doesn't mean there's room for reconciliation – so says a family source.
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stunned fans and their own families with their decision to step back as senior working members of the British royal family and move to North America to pursue independent work. It's been almost a year since the couple settled down at a property in Montecito, Calif., located in Santa Barbara County.
Although Markle once again lives on the same coast as many of her family members, a relative of Markle's who wishes to remain anonymous balked at the idea of a potential play date amongst kids in the family upon the arrival of the Sussexes' second child, daughter Lilibet Diana.
"Yeah, right after I set up a play date with Oprah Winfrey's family, too?" the family source joked. "We're clearly in different social classes and we won't ever talk again."
The family source went on to acknowledge the family divide between Markle and the extended relatives she's long avoided in the media after her strained relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, became public. The new mother of two has made it clear she believes she's now above her family and where she came from, pressed the source.
Meghan Markle's estrangement from her family members intensified in the days leading up to her royal wedding to Prince Harry. (ABC News/Frame Grab via Getty Images)
"Real quality family is what's important to me," the relative continued. "You shouldn't have to be someone you're not, or a certain class to be accepted and loved."
Markle's estrangement from her family is "her choice," the family insider added, noting that they have no plans to reach out to the duchess because it would likely not result in any sort of reunion.
"I'm not chasing after someone that doesn't want to talk to me. I have my own family and we couldn't be happier sharing the love that we have. So in other words, I couldn't care less," said the family source.
MEGHAN MARKLE, PRINCE HARRY’S SPOKESPERSON SAYS QUEEN ELIZABETH WAS ‘SUPPORTIVE’ OF LILIBET’S NAME
A relative of Meghan Markle's tells Fox News her loved ones don't plan on speaking to the duchess ever again. (Neil Mockford/GC Images)
Tension among the family doesn't mean Markle's distant relatives don't wish her well, though.
"I'm happy for them," the relative said of Markle and Harry and the birth of Lilibet Diana, who was born Friday, June 4. "Starting a family is the most rewarding thing and I wish them the best."
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Markle's rocky relationship with her family dates back to the start of her relationship with Harry. The duchess has never responded to several claims made by her outspoken half-sister, Samantha Markle, who claims Markle has spewed "lies" in interviews. The drama intensified during the week of her royal wedding to Prince Harry, when it was revealed that her father would not be attending the televised ceremony, leading Harry's father, Prince Charles, to walk her down the aisle.
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In recent months, Harry has revealed details of his own fractured relationship with the British royals, mainly his father and older brother, Prince William. Just two months after the Duke of Sussex claimed he believed they were "trapped" within their roles in an interview with Winfrey in March, the 36-year-old blamed the Prince of Wales for doing little to protect him and William from palace pressures and media scrutiny in his mental health-focused docuseries "The Me You Can't See."
Representatives for Markle did not immediately return Fox News' request for comment.
