Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle has claimed the Duchess of Sussex once asked him to stop speaking to her half-siblings – but he refused the request.
Meghan no longer speaks to her father and he has yet to meet her children Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
Despite his daughter marrying into the monarchy, Mr Markle has not yet met Prince Harry or any other member of the Royal Family either.
In an interview with the Mail on Sunday, Meghan’s father described his daughter’s alleged request: “Meghan once told me she wanted me to stop talking to Tom Jr and Samantha, my children from my first marriage. But what parent could ever agree to that?”
However, regarding his overall relationship with Meghan, Thomas said: “There were good times. She was a good girl. I don’t like some of the things my daughter has done but I will always love her.
“My door is always open to her. I love her and that will never change. I love all my children.”
Speaking of Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, Thomas also revealed his gratitude to King Charles for walking his daughter down the aisle at Windsor Castle.
Commenting on grandfather duties he also said: “I’m a grandfather and he is King of England – but he too is a grandfather who would like to see his grandkids.”
Mr Markle is still “baffled” by the fact he believes his daughter blames him for not attending her wedding because he suffered two heart attacks on the eve of the ceremony. Instead of walking his daughter down the aisle at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, he watched the wedding in a rented Airbnb after being discharged from hospital, the Daily Mail reports.
In the run-up to the wedding, Mr Markle became embroiled in a controversy over reports he had staged paparazzi photos of himself in wedding-related activities, such as being measured for a new suit.
In a statement released by Kensington Palace at the time of her wedding, following Mr Markle’s ill health, Meghan said: “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.
“I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
Meanwhile, The Duchess of Sussex is set to star in a new Netflix series which is titled ‘With Love, Meghan’ and will be released on January 15 – in just a few days’ time.
The official trailer for the show was released on January 2 with Meghan uploading news of the trailer onto her Instagram, and Mr Markle confirmed he had seen the news of the upcoming show.
He said: “Every day I see something about Meghan. This week it has been the new TV show. I wish her no ill-will. My dream is that one day I could bring my whole family together, like a ‘normal’ family.
“The British people have been so kind to me. I’d like to thank them for their support and kindness. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the kind people of the UK.”
The Sussexes have been approached for comment.
