Meghan Markle | Source: Getty Images
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 during Kari Feinstein Pre-Emmy Style Lounge - Day Two on September 17, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Despite the current distance, Meghan and her father once shared a warm relationship. In a 2021 interview, Thomas shared his own emotional memory of his daughter’s birth in 1961, 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.
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Meghan and Thomas Markle pictured embracing. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain
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.
Thomas and Meghan Markle photographed together. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain
As she grew up, the public figure pursued a career in acting, eventually crossing paths with Prince Harry. Yet, in the midst of her rising success and high-profile relationship, her father made a mistake that would later contribute 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 about Meghan, worsened his condition.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pose for a photograph in the Sunken Garden on November 27, 2017, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images
Thomas revealed he hadn’t heard from Meghan since news broke that he wouldn’t attend the wedding, though he felt her mother was a good choice to her walk the down the aisle. After a brief stay at a hospital in Mexico, he expressed concerns about his health, fearing he might suffer another heart attack.
Later on, just ahead of the wedding, Thomas’s daughter announced in a statement from Kensington Palace, “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding.”
Meghan Markle photographed ride in an Ascot Landau on May 19, 2018, in Windsor Castle. | Source: Getty Images
In his absence, King Charles III ultimately walked Meghan down the aisle when she married Prince Harry. Reflecting on this act, Thomas expressed his appreciation to the King, saying, “I certainly couldn’t have asked for a better replacement. Although, I would love to have done that.”
King Charles III walks Meghan Markle down the aisle in St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images
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 leave 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 Markle during an outing. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain
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 wave 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.
During Thomas’s recovery in the hospital, the royal reached out, remarking, “If you’d listened to me, none of this would have happened,” referencing the staged photo controversy.
Prince Harry during his official visit to Denmark on October 26, 2017, in Copenhagen, Denmark. | 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. Thomas 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.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a visit to Millennium Point on March 8, 2018, in Birmingham, England. | Source: Getty Images
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.
Markle and Thomas Markle posing together. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain
With the ongoing rift, Meghan has even kept her father from meeting 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
In addition, the distance between Meghan and her father deepened after his hospitalization in 2023. Following a stroke that temporarily took 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 duo remains, with Thomas reportedly no longer considering Meghan his daughter.
In a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan discussed her strained relationship with her parent. 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 ongoing 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.
