What to say about the extremely sad story of the Duchess of Sussex and her estranged father…
I was in two minds whether to write about this or not because I feel very sorry for both Meghan and her father Tom Markle - and more column inches from me won’t help anything.
But then it was reported in the Sunday Times that Meghan had no plans to see her father, who is recovering in hospital from a leg amputation in the Philippines. Moreover, it was briefed she didn’t feel comfortable contacting him via phone because she wasn’t sure any conversation they had would be kept private.
However, Mr Markle, 81, was handed a letter from the Duchess last week (the contents of which haven’t been made public), after he publicly said he wanted to see his daughter one last time ‘before I die’. He has never met Prince Harry, nor his grandchildren Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.
He had two heart attacks just before he was due to fly from the USA to London for the Sussexes’ wedding. I remember breaking the news to Harry’s Communications Secretary that he wasn’t coming. He had no idea.
Meghan then apparently deleted Tom’s phone number and the two hadn’t spoken since - with the letter being their first communication since 2018.
Meghan and her dad used to be very close. But after he posed for some rather innocuous staged paparazzo shots at his home in Mexico, and then lied about it to Harry and Meghan, the relationship completely deteriorated. Meghan felt he’d been preyed on by the press and completely taken advantage of.
I imagine Thomas felt like he was taking back a bit of control after finding himself in the bizarre situation of suddenly being related to royalty. And not just any royals – these are the most famous family in the world.
I have to admit, I was slightly taken aback by what might be perceived as the sheer hypocrisy of Meghan’s thoughts though (briefed out to one of my excellent journo pals, the Sunday Times’s Royal editor).
According to the article, the Duchess let it be known that it was her dad’s alleged ‘collusion with the media’ that has been ‘a major factor in the breakdown of their relationship’ and a key reason as to why she won’t see him again.
So it’s OK for her to let her thoughts be known, but not OK for her father to speak to a publication?
And it’s somehow acceptable for her and Harry to speak to Oprah Winfrey, Netflix, New York magazine, Harper's Bazaar, multiple American TV outlets (and not forgetting Harry’s tell-all autobiography Spare!) about their experiences with Harry’s family. But not for her dad to do the same….
When I was covering Harry and Meghan’s joyful wedding back in May 2018 (and it was joyful - everyone was so happy!) I did wonder where all Meghan’s family were. Her mum Doria Ragland comes from a large family, but none were invited to St George’s Chapel in Windsor on that glorious spring day.
But how different it could have been if Meghan had thrown her arms around both sides of her family - and not just the celebs like George and Amal Clooney (who hardly knew the Sussexes).
A courtier told me if Meghan and Harry had brought over her Markle family a couple of weeks before the wedding, put them up in a nice hotel and had them looked after by palace staff, none of this would ever have happened.
Instead, poor Tom Markle (who paid to put her through private school and university) is learning how to walk with a prosthetic limb, knowing he will likely never see his daughter again.
No one emerges the victor here. Least of all Meghan.
