Photo: instagram
He has his own shot at fame now.
By Micki Spollen — Written on Oct 09, 2018
Who is Tyler Dooley? Meghan Markle’s nephew has officially signed on to appear in the MTV reality show The Royal World.
Since becoming a household name thanks to her relationship and eventual marriage to Prince Harry, Markle’s personal business has become regular tabloid fodder. Perhaps the most unfortunate side effect of her fame has been the airing of the Markle family’s dirty laundry.
We’ve heard about the strained relationship between Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, who’s been accused of capitalizing on Meghan’s royal relationship by staging paparazzi photos, giving a tell-all interview without Meghan’s prior knowledge, and not attending her wedding.
Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Grant has also publicly come for Meghan, once claiming that fame “changed” Meghan and that the new royal doesn’t care about her family anymore.
Now, it’s Meghan’s nephew Dooley who’s stealing some of her spotlight — however, he at least has a more positive reason. The 25-year-old has been cast on a new MTV “royality” show called The Royal World.
1. Dooley is Markle’s nephew on her father’s side.
Dooley is the son of Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle, Jr. According to a Royal World promo video, Dooley refers to Meghan as “Auntie” — whether or not she’s aware of that is unknown.
Dooley’s father has publicly attacked Meghan. Before her wedding to Prince Harry, Markle Jr. wrote an open letter to the Duchess and her soon-to-be-husband, saying that Meghan was “not the right woman” for Harry. "I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees,” Dooley’s father wrote. "Meghan's attempt to act the part of a princess like a below C average Hollywood actress is getting old."
Markle Jr. has since apologized for the scathing letter.
2. Dooley has cashed in on Markle’s fame before.
Dooley’s upcoming reality stardom isn’t the first time he’s used the Markle name for his own gain. He’s the founder of a legal marijuana business he named Royally Grown. The company even went so far as to name a strain of marijuana after her aunt called “Markle Sparkle.” According to the website, “the £206-an-ounce ‘extremely potent’ blend is as ‘unique and individual’ as Meghan.”
3. Markle and Dooley are not close.
Despite all of Dooley’s attempts to prove so, he and his aunt don’t appear to have a close relationship. In March 2018, Dooley and his mother appeared on a Good Morning Britain segment and explained that they hadn’t been invited to her wedding. And though he claimed to be “always rooting her on and supporting her,” Meghan’s nephew admitted in his Royal World promo that he didn’t even watch the Royal Wedding.
4. Dooley is not familiar with the Royal Family
According to Entertainment Tonight, Dooley will be the only American on the show which MTV International co-head Kerry Taylor described as “a brilliantly entertaining show that invites you into a world which is utterly closed to most of us: the world of young, titled royals and aristocrats.”
5. He’s dating Sandra Bazan
Dooley’s Instagram reveals that he’s currently in a relationship with a woman named Sandra Bazan. They have a dog together and appear to have plenty of traveling under their belts.
With under 1,000 Instagram followers at the time of publication, Dooley is still relatively unknown despite his relationship to Meghan, but this new venture may prove profitable for him. The Royal World is set to air on MTV UK on November 7, 2018.
Micki Spollen is a YourTango editor and entertainment news writer. She also runs the travel blog Where In The World Is My Drink.