The father of a victim in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, has spoken out against claims Meghan Markle brought a media crew to the town in the aftermath of the attack.
Meghan was accused of using the tragedy as a PR stunt by commentators and her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr., when photographs were published of the duchess laying flowers at a memorial in the town two days after 19 children and two teachers were murdered by 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos in 2022.
At the time, a spokesperson for Meghan told Newsweek that the duchess made her visit to Uvalde in a personal capacity “as a mother,” seeking only to offer her support to the community that is experiencing “unimaginable grief.”
Despite this, negative claims against Meghan and her motives continue to circulate on social media, leading the father of one victim to speak out.
Responding to an X (formerly Twitter) post by a dedicated anti-Meghan account, unreMARKLEble, which claimed she “took her cameras to a literal CRIME SCENE, 3 days after the mass murder of children. Using Uvalde to raise her profile & get press,” Brett Cross, father of Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia, who was killed in the shooting, spoke in defense of the duchess.
“You’re so far from the truth,” he wrote in his X post on December 22. “She arrived without media, and did tell them to leave that she wasn’t there for them. She has also kept in contact with my wife.”
He also went on to claim that while Meghan didn’t bring media with her to visit the town after the shooting, both Texas Governor Greg Abbot and movie star Matthew McConaughey did.
“You know who did show up with cameras? @McConaughey did,” he wrote. “And @GregAbbott_TX only asked to go to our kids funerals if he could bring his personal media and when we said no, he refused to go. Maybe it’s best not to talk on a subject you’re so woefully ignorant on.”
When approached about his response, Cross told Newsweek that he was “tired of people talking about Uvalde in ways that are not factual.”
A source told Newsweek McConaughey first arrived with his wife and returned later with his whole family.
Newsweek approached representatives of Matthew McConaughey, Meghan Markle and Greg Abbott via email for comment. Newsweek were unable to reach X user unreMARKLEble for a response.
Meghan’s contact with the Uvalde community has extended beyond her visit in May 2022.
In October of that same year it was revealed that the duchess’ Archewell Foundation, headed with Prince Harry, had partnered with non-profit organization KABOOM! to develop a children’s playground at DeLeon Park, with the aim of supporting the local community and its population of children as they grow beyond the tragedy.
At the time, Archewell’s executive director, James Hold, said in a statement: “It has been an honor to support the children and families in Uvalde design and build this amazing space where the community can come together. Our hope is that this special project can help the community heal, and be home to imagination, games and play for many years to come.”
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We’d love to hear from you.
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This story was originally published December 22, 2023, 11:50 AM.
source: star-telegram
