Meghan Markle’s strained relationship with her father has drawn significant media attention in recent years. The father-daughter pair have remained out of contact, with the Duchess of Sussex reportedly restricting her father’s access to his grandchildren due to their rift.

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 on September 17, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images

Meghan and her father used to have a warm relationship. In a 2021 interview, Thomas shared an emotional memory of his daughter’s birth in 1981, 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.

Thomas Markle during an interview. | Source: YouTube.com/60MinutesAU

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.

Meghan Markle on the set of “Deal or No Deal,” 2006 | Source: Getty Images

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.

Meghan Markle attends the DPA pre-Emmy Gift Lounge on September 18, 2009, in Beverly Hills, California. | Source: Getty Images

As she grew up, the public figure pursued a career in acting, eventually crossing paths with Prince Harry in 2016. Yet, in the midst of her rising success and high-profile relationship, her father made a mistake by entertaining the media, which later contributed 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 against Meghan, worsened his condition.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on November 27, 2017, in London, England. | Source: Getty Images

After a brief stay at a hospital in Mexico, Thomas expressed concerns about his health, fearing he might suffer another heart attack. During that same period, news broke that he wouldn’t attend the wedding and his ill-health was partly the reason why.

Advertisement

Thomas Markle during an interview. | Source: YouTube.com/60MinutesAU

Just ahead of the ceremony, Meghan announced in a statement from Kensington Palace, “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding.” As a result, Thomas missed the opportunity to walk his daughter down the aisle though he felt her mother was a good choice to do the honors.

Meghan Markle on her wedding day on May 19, 2018, in Windsor Castle. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

In his absence, then Prince Charles ultimately walked Meghan down the aisle. Reflecting on this, Thomas expressed his appreciation saying, “I certainly couldn’t have asked for a better replacement. Although, I would love to have done that.”

King Charles III walking Meghan Markle down the aisle in St. George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images

In addition to his health woes, 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 leaving St George’s Chapel on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

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 interview. | 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 during their carriage procession on the Long Walk on May 19, 2018, in Windsor, England. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

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.

As such, during Thomas’s recovery in the hospital, the royal reached out, remarking, “If you’d listened to me, none of this would have happened.”

Prince Harry during his official visit to Denmark on October 26, 2017 | 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. He feared he might never see his daughter again.

Advertisement

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.

Thomas Markle during an interview. | Source: YouTube/GoodMorningBritain

Advertisement

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.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a visit to Millennium Point on March 8, 2018, in Birmingham, England. | Source: Getty Images

Due to their ongoing rift, Meghan’s father has never met 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

Advertisement

The distance between Meghan and her father only deepened after he suffered a stroke in May 2022, temporarily losing 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 remains, with Thomas reportedly no longer considering Meghan his daughter.

In a candid interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan discussed her strained relationship with Thomas. 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 estrangement.

Advertisement

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.

The tension within Meghan’s family echoes Prince Harry’s strained relationship with his father, King Charles III. Since Harry stepped back from royal duties in 2020, they have had limited contact.

King Charles III and Prince Harry at Westminster Abbey on September 19, 2022. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

After relocating to California with Meghan, the couple cited intolerable media intrusions and allegations of racism within the British press as reasons for their departure.

Princess Catherine, Prince Harry, and Meghan at Westminster Hall on September 14, 2022 | Source: Getty Images

The son-father relationship took another hit following the release of Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in January 2023, where he made critical remarks about Queen Camilla. These comments reportedly left a deep impression on Charles.

Copies of Prince Harry’s memoir “Spare” at Dussmann das KulturKaufhaus in Berlin, Germany, on January 11, 2023. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

According to Christopher Andersen, author of “The King,” Camilla remains Charles’s “true love,” and Harry’s negative portrayal of her in his memoir deeply upset the monarch. “I think people have to realize that the one thing that Charles finds unforgivable is criticism of Camilla,” Christopher added.

King Charles III, followed by Queen Camilla, reacts as he leaves St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle after attending the Easter Mattins Service on March 31, 2024 | Source: Getty Images

“And unfortunately for Harry… Harry said some pretty devastating things about her. He made it clear that he felt she was… the villain in the piece. I think that still bothers the king, and I don’t know that it will be easy for him to [forgive]. I don’t think they’ll ever forgive Harry for that,” Christopher explained.

King Charles III hosts a gathering of a women-led UK community and faith leaders at Buckingham Palace in London on December 13, 2023. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

Despite reports that Harry has tried to reach out to his family, his attempts at reconciliation have allegedly been ignored, leaving the relationship between father and son at a standstill.

Prince Harry attends the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6, 2023. | Source: Getty Images

Previous reports suggested that Charles may be open to reconciliation. In April 2024, he was reportedly considering inviting Harry, Meghan, and their children to Balmoral, the royal family’s retreat in Scotland for the summer as an opportunity to reconnect with his grandchildren.

Balmoral Castle, the British Royal Family’s residence since 1852, in Scotland. | Source: Getty Images

Advertisement

He last saw them during Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022, where he met Lilibet for the first time and spent time with Archie.

A royal source described it as “a fantastic visit,” adding that Charles was delighted to see his grandson and meet his granddaughter for the first time.

King Charles III laughs during a visit to Heriot-Watt University to open the Dubai campus at COP28 in Dubai, UAE, on November 30, 2023. | Source: Getty Images

With limited opportunities to spend time together, the same royal source described Balmoral as an ideal setting for the family to reunite, suggesting that Harry and Meghan should consider accepting if Charles extends an invitation.

“I can see Charles desperately wanting to see the children, and extending this olive branch to Meghan and Harry,” the source said. “He may decide that life is just too short.”

 Prince Harry Reportedly Gives William One Condition before He Will Agree to Return as Working Royal