This brings up the nature vs nurture debate, doesn’t it? How is it that Meghan turned out so differently from her half siblings.
From what I've read, I think it's clear that Meghan's father became involved with his first wife when he was 18 or 19 -- that's very young. He ended up leaving his wife and two children (Sam and Tom Jr) and going off to California where he eventually developed a career in the film industry, as a lighting director. And of course, he met Meghan's Mom Doria on the set of
General Hospital in the late 1970s.
Again from reports by family members (in this instance, Doria's older half brother, Joseph Johnson), Meghan's Mom Doria was born in Cleveland, OH and the family moved to California when Doria was a baby. Meghan's grandmother Jeanette Arnold's first husband was a professional roller skater who ended up leaving his wife and two children. Jeanette later met & married a minister and antiques dealer, Alvin Ragland, and they had Doria. Meghan's Mom Doria grew up free-spirited in L.A., and she attended a desegregated high school in the late 1960s early 1970s.
I think that Meghan received very strong nurturing from her mother Doria and her grandmother Jeanette. They were clearly strong women, especially by virtue of having to make it in the world largely on their own. Meghan learned independence and a hard work ethic from her mother Doria, her grandmother Jeanette, and from her father, Tom Markle, Sr. She also may have received some nurturing from her maternal grandfather when she was younger, but that's not clear since he at some point divorced Jeanette and remarried. I believe that Meghan's feminism and social consciousness comes from her maternal side. Her father Tom also seems to have been very supportive and encouraging to Meghan in pursuing her dreams and believing in herself.
It seems obvious to me that Tom Markle, Jr. and Sam Grant struggled a bit with the way their father doted on young Meghan, likely recalling that he wasn't there for them much when they were very young. Tom Jr., has repeatedly spoken of Meghan being the apple of their father's eye, and Sam has discussed how their Dad 'doted' on Meghan. There appears to be some bitterness, consciously or unconsciously on the part of Tom Jr., and Sam Grant, which has gotten them nowhere. And their mother Roslyn doesn't appear to have come from a strong or well-educated family background. Fortunately for Sam Grant's two oldest children, they were raised by their father's parents who apparently were nurturing. Sam Grant reportedly abused her younger daughter from a second marriage (as spoken of publicly by the daughter, Noelle Rasmussen).
ETA:
Note that Uncle Joseph's father is not Alvin Ragland
@Zonk -- Alvin Ragland is Doria's father; Alvin later divorced Doria's mother, Jeanette, remarried and had a son, Alvin Joffrey Ragland, who is two years younger than Meghan).
Also, I've read that it's probable
The Daily Fail paid 100K to Meghan's family members and the back-stabbing childhood friend who provided pictures and family details.