Thomas Markle has threatened to petition the courts for the rights to see his grandkids.
In an interview Meghan's estranged dad said his grandchildren, Archie and Lili, were 'not pawns' and were 'entitled to the same rights as any other royal.'
The retired lighting engineer and Meghan fell out three years ago amid claims he staged photos in return for cash.
He hasn't spoken to Meghan since she wed Prince Harry in 2018 at a ceremony he did not attend.
He was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle but he pulled out after he had a heart attack and had to undergo vital surgery.
Thomas has not met Prince Harry or his grandson Archie and royal biographer Robert Jobson previously said it’s unlikely he will meet his new granddaughter anytime soon.
They are at opposite sides of a legal battle after the Mail on Sunday published letters Meghan had sent her dad pleading with him to stop hurting her
In an interview with Fox News the 77-year-old said he would take the issue to court in the 'very near future.'
He said: "We shouldn’t be punishing [Lili] for Meghan and Harry’s bad behaviour.
"Archie and Lili are small children. They’re not politics. They’re not pawns. They’re not part of the game. And they’re also royals and entitled to the same rights as any other royal."
He added: "… I will be petitioning the California courts for the rights to see my grandchildren in the very near future."
Speaking of Prince Harry's announcement of a forthcoming memoir to be released next year he said the Duke of Sussex would not 'have too much more to tell.'
It comes a month after he accused the Duchess of Sussex of ‘treating him worse than an axe murderer’ after cutting him off.
He said: “I made one dumb mistake and I’ve been punished for it.
"This show they’ve been on, they talk about compassion, there’s no compassion for me, no compassion for my family, and no compassion for the world.”
