Meghan Markle’s strained relationship with her father has received widespread media attention in recent years.
The father-daughter relationship has remained strained, with the Duchess of Sussex reportedly limiting her father’s access to his grandchildren as a result of their disagreement.
Meghan Markle, who became a member of the British royal family by her marriage to Prince Harry, has two children with him. While she remains close to her mother, Doria Ragland, her relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, has taken a different course, culminating in a well-publicized split.
Meghan and her father used to have a good relationship. In a 2021 interview, Thomas recounted an emotional reminiscence of his daughter’s 1981 birth, mentioning that he was the first to hold her.
After marrying in 1979, her parents relocated to an affordable, tree-lined suburb in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Despite her tight relationship with both parents in her early years, Meghan’s family life changed after her parents split in 1987.
As she grew up, the popular figure pursued an acting career, finally meeting Prince Harry in 2016. However, in the middle of her burgeoning fame and high-profile romance, her father made a mistake by entertaining the media, which eventually strained their relationship.
During Meghan and Prince Harry’s engagement in 2017, Thomas experienced health concerns, including a heart attack only days before the wedding in May 2018. During this time, it was revealed that he would not be attending the wedding, which was due in part to his illness.
In his absence, Prince Charles eventually led Meghan down the aisle.
In addition to his health issues, the father of three missed the wedding due to a reaction to staged images he sold to a photo agency. He claimed that he had no intention of harming Meghan or the Royal Family, but was irritated with the paparazzi who had constantly photographed him in unpleasant situations, often distorting him.
Thomas’s hidden collaboration with British paparazzi for staged images embarrassed the Royal Family ahead of the wedding, especially given Prince Harry’s earlier calls for media control.
The scenario was especially unpleasant for the Duke of Sussex, who had previously spoken out against paparazzi conduct, recalling how such pursuits had resulted in the terrible d.e.a.t.h of his mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.
Following the first fallout, he told friends in July 2018 that he hadn’t communicated with Meghan or Prince Harry in a long time. He feared he’d never see his daughter again.
Thomas later claimed that he was set up to disrupt the wedding, portraying himself as a victim in the incident.
Because of their ongoing rift, Meghan’s father has never met her two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, whom she welcomed in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Thomas has since expressed his desire to see his grandchildren.
He revealed in a 2023 interview that he initially learned about Lilibet’s birth from media sources.
Meghan and her father’s estrangement grew even deeper after he suffered a stroke in May 2022, causing him to lose his ability to communicate. Thomas stated that neither Meghan nor Prince Harry had called out to check on him.
Despite the continuous conflict, Thomas believes he is a wonderful father who does not deserve Meghan Markle’s treatment. His final wish is for his daughter to reach out and bridge the gap that has kept their family apart.
The conflict among Meghan’s family mirrors Prince Harry’s troubled connection with his father, King Charles III. Since Harry stepped back from his royal duties in 2020, they have had little communication.
The son-father relationship suffered further damage when Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” was released in January 2023, and he made remarks about Queen Camilla.
Despite reports that Harry has attempted to reconcile with his family, his efforts have been ignored, leaving the father-son relationship at a stalemate.
He last visited them in June 2022, during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee festivities, when he first met Lilibet and spent time with Archie.
With few opportunities to spend time together, the same royal insider characterized Balmoral as a great location for the family to gather, recommending that Harry and Meghan accept if Charles extends an invitation.
