Why Prince Harry blames himself for Meghan's estranged relationship with her dad
Prince Harry admits that he blames himself for his wife Meghan Markle's estranged relationship with her father Thomas Markle whom she has reportedly not spoken to since 2018.
After a series of issues between the Sussexes and Meghan's father, Meghan and her dad are no longer on speaking terms with one another, and have reportedly not been in contact for almost five years now. In Prince Harry and Meghan's Netflix tell-all docuseries "Harry & Meghan" released in December of last year, the pair opened up about the strained relationship. Prince Harry described the situation as "incredibly sad" and said he has shouldered the blame for their disconnection.
In episode three of the docuseries, Prince Harry said: "Of course, it's incredibly sad what happened. She had a father before this and now she doesn't have a father," he continued: "And I shouldered that because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad."
As Prince Harry blames himself for Meghan and her father's fallout, we're taking a closer look at the series of events that led to the breakdown of the Duchess of Sussex's relationship with her father Thomas.
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Harry and Meghan confront Meghan's father about paparazzi scandal
Taking a closer look at the feud between Meghan and her father Thomas (Netflix)The Sussexes and Meghan's father first butted heads over a paparazzi scandal days before their Royal Wedding. Thomas at the time staged photos with a British tabloid and, according to Meghan, lied to her about talking to the press. Meghan was later pushed to speak to her father about the issue.
In her docuseries, Meghan recalled the moment and said: "H and I called my dad. I said, 'Look, they're saying you're taking money from the tabloids to stage photos. Is this true?' He says no. And he said, 'No, no, I have things I need to do.' And it felt really cagey," She continued: "I was like, 'It doesn't make sense.' And when we hung up, I looked at H. I was like, 'I don't know why, but I don't believe him.' "
Meghan's mother Doria Ragland later weighed in on the scandal, saying that she was "absolutely stunned" that her ex-husband would "become part of this circus." She added: "And sad that the media would run with this. That he would capitalize. Certainly as a parent, that's not what you do. That's not parenting."
Meghan's father misses Royal Wedding after confrontation
Meghan's father missed the Royal Wedding (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)The incident occurred days before her marriage to Prince Harry. Originally her father was set to be in attendance for the wedding to walk her down the aisle, which was confirmed by the Kensington Palace, but he was nowhere to be seen on the day the pair wed on May 18, 2018.
Thomas told TMZ that he would not be in attendance at his daughter's wedding due to the fallout from the paparazzi scandal, which he thought made him look "stupid and hammy". He told the outlet that he meant "no harm" to Meghan or the Royal Family when he set up a photoshoot in an internet cafe as part of a deal said to be worth £100,000.
Thomas claimed the photoshoot wasn't "principally about money" and that he did it because he wanted to "help recast his image". He said he's been "ambushed by paparazzi who have photographed him in the most unflattering circumstances" over the last year and wanted to redeem his reputation.
He said that all of pictures of him that were published were of him "buying beer, looking disheveled and reclusive" and that he thought it made him "look like a lush." Thomas added that since Meghan started dating Prince Harry he was offered "between $50,000 and $100k for interviews" but turned them all down. He later admitted that he "deeply regrets" the photoshoot and said he "decided not to go because he doesn't want to embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter".
Thomas' health woes
Meghan discovered her father had a heart attack through the media (GB News)After the paparazzi scandal, Meghan and Prince Harry discovered that her father was actually in the hospital days before her wedding. In their docuseries, Meghan recalled: "And then suddenly they were saying he was in the hospital." At the time Meghan begged her father to talk to her and asked: "What's going on? Please just pick up the phone. Like, what's going on? We're not mad. Just please pick up the phone."
In the programme, Meghan said: "Even once it was said in the media, [we] just kept calling, [saying] you know, 'What's going on? Don't understand what's going on. Are you okay? What hospital are you at?' I mean, all of us, we're just trying to understand what was going on."
The couple were eventually able to get in contact with Meghan's father after discovering he had to undergo surgery after having a heart attack. Thomas later admitted in an interview with Good Morning Britain in March: "At that point we pretty much said goodbye." He said that he hung up the phone with his daughter and son-in-law because Prince Harry had allegedly texted him: "If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to you."
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Reflecting on the moment, Thomas said: "Me laying in a hospital bed after I'd had a procedure and getting a stent put here and a stent put here (points to his chest), felt that that was kind of snotty, so I hung up on him," he added: "And that's the last conversation we ever had."
As the event happened days before the Royal Wedding, the Palace released a statement from Meghan addressing the fact that her father would not be in attendance citing health issues. The statement read: "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."
Meghan's father has never met Meghan's children
Meghan's father has since apologized and tried to meet his grandchildren (Netflix)Since then, Meghan and her father have continued to have a strained relationship and he has yet to meet either one of her children that she shares with Prince Harry including three-year-old Prince Archie and one-year-old Princess Lilibet.
Since the fallout, Thomas has made numerous attempts to reach out to his estranged daughter pleading to meet his grandchildren, but she has not taken him up on his attempts to reunite. Last month in an interview with Good Morning Britain with hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley, Thomas described Meghan and Prince Harry as "cruel" for not letting him meet his grandkids.
Her father previously addressed his mistakes and apologised for this hurtful actions. He confessed: "I've made mistakes. I apologised a hundred times for it. If I had done something terribly wrong, that would be fine, but I haven't. The bottom line is she didn’t lose me, she made a statement saying she lost me, she didn't lose me. I would've always been there for her, I'm there for her now if she wants me. I'd like to say again. I'm sorry for what I've done. This was two years ago. But I've tried to make it up to her. I'm now only 70 miles away. I've never stopped loving her. I don't agree with all the things that my children they do. But I will always love them. And I certainly love Meghan."
Meghan in her explosive interview with Oprah, said that she felt "betrayed" by her dad after he lied to her about speaking to the press and added that as she is now a mother, she looks at the situation in a new light. She said: "I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. So it's hard for me to reconcile that."
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