Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle told a British television network that he wants to see his grandchildren after five years of no contact with his royal daughter.
The pair have not spoken since a leaked letter he posed for paparazzi photos for money in 2018 and subsequently sent her to a British tabloid. Sunday Mail, trigger litigation.
As a result, he never met his grandchildren, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, as he prepared to turn 80 next year, suffered a heart attack before his wedding in 2018 and suffered a stroke in May 2022 .
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What Thomas Markle told ITV
He said good morning britain Monday: “I haven’t seen my grandson yet. I want to see my grandson and I think the king should see his grandson too.”
Thomas said the interview was “not my last”, suggesting he may become more outspoken again 16 months after a stroke halted his regular media appearances.
He said Meghan had not reached out for help during the health crisis, either directly or through aides: “As far as I know, there has been no attempt at all. No one has tried. I haven’t seen Meghan and Harry in five years. The last time I I was lying in a hospital bed with him before the wedding as he spoke.”
“She is not the daughter I know”
“I think she had a greater influence on Harry than he did on her”
In an exclusive interview with GMB, Thomas Markle shared the pain of not being able to see his grandchildren as he regained the ability to speak after suffering a severe stroke. pic.twitter.com/AvCP5BsP1I
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) September 18, 2023
When asked how he felt about the rift, he said: “I guess he’s sad. I feel sad about it too because it’s a cruel thing for grandparents to do. Not just for me but for The King of England denies this too. The right to visit his grandchildren.”
“Put the past behind me and show me my grandchildren,” he continued. “In California, I could actually sue, but I don’t want to.
Weekly newspaper Meghan Markle’s representatives have been asked for comment.
Thomas Markle’s pleas for reconciliation may fall on deaf ears as his relationship with his daughter has been strained in recent years.
paparazzi incident
Thomas’ relationship with Meghan was caught out when he was caught posing with paparazzi photographers and then lied about it when directly questioned by Meghan and Harry.
At the time, Kensington Palace warned reporters to protect her father’s privacy, and the emergence of CCTV images of Thomas posing in an internet cafe greatly undermined the couple’s debate with the media.
british tabloids mail on sunday He posted the photos just days before the couple’s royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May 2018, before he was rushed to hospital after suffering two heart attacks. They hadn’t spoken since the wedding.
Royal family members continue to berate Harry
In the following months, Thomas Markle began to appear regularly in front of the media and harshly criticized Meghan and Harry.
In August of that year, Meghan told then-Kensington Palace press secretary Jason Knauf, Members of the royal family “constantly berate” Prince Harry Thomas Markle for his media appearances.
Meghan told her Netflix documentary that Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charles suggested she write him a letter asking him to stop.
exist harry and meghanShe said: “I contacted Her Majesty the Queen and said this is what happened, what do you want me to do? I would like… whatever suggestions you have.”
“But eventually the Queen and the Prince of Wales suggested that I write a letter to my father, which I did my best to deliver to my father discreetly.”
However, Thomas later leaked the letter to Sunday Mail, trigger litigation.
Meghan’s Sunday email litigation
Thomas handed the note to mail on sundaywhich published key excerpts and was accompanied by an article from a handwriting expert who said it showed the duchess was a “narcissistic performer”.
thomas told good morning britain: “This is a very hateful letter written to me by my daughter.”
After the article was published, Meghan sued the tabloid, and Thomas submitted a written statement supporting the paper’s defense.
While his involvement in the case was limited, the affair proved to be so psychologically damaging to Meghan that Harry claimed it caused her to miscarry.
He said harry and meghan: “I believe my wife had a miscarriage because mail Did. I witnessed the whole thing. “
“Now, do we absolutely know that miscarriage is caused by this?” he asked. “We certainly don’t know. But given the stress it caused, the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy, how many weeks into her pregnancy, from what I’ve seen, I can say the miscarriage was caused by their condition. “Trying to do it to her. “
A British court ruled in favor of Meghan, who argued that publishing the letter violated her right to privacy.
Meghan’s half-sister and Thomas’s other daughter, Samantha Markle, also sued Meghan for defamation, and Thomas once offered to provide evidence against Meghan.
Lawyers for the Duchess of Sussex argue Samantha Markle’s case has no merit and are asking a Florida judge to dismiss the case.
This all means that the chances of Meghan and Thomas mending their relationship appear to be slim.
Jack Royston is Weekly newspaperChief royal correspondent in London. You can find him on Twitter: @jackroyston and read his story newsweek’s Royals Facebook page.
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