Meghan Markle | Source: Getty Images
Meghan Markle’s strained relationship with her father has drawn significant media attention in recent years. The father-daughter pair have remained out of contact, with the Duchess of Sussex reportedly restricting her father’s access to his grandchildren due to their rift.
Meghan Markle, now a part of the British royal family through her marriage to Prince Harry, shares two children with him. While she maintains a close bond with her mother, Doria Ragland, her relationship with her father, Thomas Markle, took a different turn, resulting in a well-publicized estrangement.
Meghan Markle on September 17, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Meghan and her father used to have a warm relationship. In a 2021 interview, Thomas shared an emotional memory of his daughter’s birth in 1981, noting that he was the first to hold her. “I fell in love with her and I’d been that way for 40 years,” said the Pennsylvania native who has two older children from his first marriage.
Meghan also reflected on her childhood in an essay for Elle magazine and revealed her parents met in the late ’70s. Her father worked as a lighting director for a soap opera, while her mother was a temp at the studio.
Meghan Markle on the set of “Deal or No Deal,” 2006 | Source: Getty Images
After marrying in 1979, the couple moved to an affordable, tree-lined neighborhood in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley. Despite the close-knit bond she shared with both parents in her early years, Meghan’s family life shifted when her parents divorced in 1987.
Meghan Markle attends the DPA pre-Emmy Gift Lounge on September 18, 2009, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images
As she grew up, the public figure pursued a career in acting, eventually crossing paths with Prince Harry in 2016. Yet, in the midst of her rising success and high-profile relationship, her father made a mistake by entertaining the media, which later contributed to the strain in their relationship.
Amid Meghan and Prince Harry’s engagement in 2017, Thomas faced health issues, including a heart attack just days before the wedding in May 2018. He shared that stress, partly due to his eldest daughter’s public remarks against Meghan, worsened his condition.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on November 27, 2017, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
After a brief stay at a hospital in Mexico, Thomas expressed concerns about his health, fearing he might suffer another heart attack. During that same period, news broke that he wouldn’t attend the wedding and his ill-health was partly the reason why.
Just ahead of the ceremony, Meghan announced in a statement from Kensington Palace, “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding.” As a result, Thomas missed the opportunity to walk his daughter down the aisle though he felt her mother was a good choice to do the honors.
Meghan Markle on her wedding day on May 19, 2018, in Windsor Castle. | Source: Getty Images
In his absence, then Prince Charles ultimately walked Meghan down the aisle. Reflecting on this, Thomas expressed his appreciation saying, “I certainly couldn’t have asked for a better replacement. Although, I would love to have done that.”
King Charles III walking Meghan Markle down the aisle in St. George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
In addition to his health woes, the father of three missed the wedding following backlash over staged photos he sold to a photo agency. He explained that he hadn’t intended to harm Meghan or the Royal Family, but was frustrated with paparazzi who had repeatedly caught him in unflattering situations, often misrepresenting him.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle leaving St George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
Thomas divulged that he had declined high-paying interview offers since Meghan started dating the prince. He accepted a smaller fee from a photo agency, hoping the images would improve his public image. However, he later admitted the photos looked “stupid and hammy” and expressed regret over his decision.
Thomas’s secret collaboration with a British paparazzo for staged photos caused embarrassment for the Royal Family ahead of the wedding, especially after Prince Harry’s earlier pleas for media restraint.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their carriage procession on the Long Walk on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
The situation was particularly upsetting for the Duke of Sussex, who had previously spoken out against paparazzi behavior, recalling how similar pursuits had led to his mother, Princess Diana’s tragic death in 1997.
As such, during Thomas’s recovery in the hospital, the royal reached out, remarking, “If you’d listened to me, none of this would have happened.”
Prince Harry during his official visit to Denmark on October 26, 2017 | Source: Getty Images
Thomas reportedly ended the call abruptly—a decision he later came to regret, acknowledging that this moment marked the beginning of their rift.
Following the initial fallout, he confided to friends in July 2018 that he hadn’t spoken to Meghan or Prince Harry in a long time. He feared he might never see his daughter again.
Thomas Markle during an interview. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain
Heartbroken over their growing estrangement, he expressed a sense of finality, saying, “I think they’re shot of me now,” as he struggled to understand why he’d been excluded from Meghan’s life. Thomas later claimed he had been set up to disrupt the wedding, presenting himself as a victim in the situation.
Adding to the strain, Meghan had written him a personal letter, which was subsequently leaked by a media outlet. This breach of privacy led Meghan to pursue legal action against the outlet for sharing the contents of her private message.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a visit to Millennium Point on March 8, 2018, in Birmingham, England. | Source: Getty Images
Due to their ongoing rift, Meghan’s father has never met her two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, whom she welcomed in 2019 and 2021, respectively.
Thomas has since voiced his wish to see his grandchildren. He revealed in a 2023 interview that he first learned of Lilibet’s birth through media reports.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Archie Mountbatten-Windsor during their royal tour of South Africa on September 25, 2019, in Cape Town, South Africa. | Source: Getty Images
The distance between Meghan and her father only deepened after he suffered a stroke in May 2022, temporarily losing his ability to speak. Thomas shared that neither Meghan nor Prince Harry had reached out to check on him.
Reflecting on this, he admitted, “I’m heartbroken. I’m very upset,” describing it as painful and “cruel” for them to keep him from seeing his grandchildren. The animosity between the father and daughter remains, with Thomas reportedly no longer considering Meghan his daughter.
In a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan discussed her strained relationship with Thomas. She recounted how the media’s intense pursuit led tabloids to track down her father, even setting up near his home.
The royal revealed her efforts to protect him from the press, yet Thomas ultimately went behind her back to speak with them. Feeling betrayed, she explained that he basically lied about his involvement, which contributed to their estrangement.
Despite the ongoing conflict, Thomas still believes he was a good father and does not deserve this treatment from Meghan Markle. His final hope is for his daughter to reach out, bridging the distance that has kept their family apart.
