Long before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties, their relationship with Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, had already become a source of turmoil within the monarchy.
Behind the scenes, the Queen herself even suggested Meghan should try to repair the damage by visiting her father in Mexico—but the Duchess quickly rejected the idea, according to royal biographer Tom Bower.
Thomas Markle’s Public Controversy
The rift began around Meghan and Harry’s 2018 wedding.
Days before the ceremony, Thomas Markle was exposed for staging paparazzi photos, including shots of him looking at pictures of his daughter and being fitted for a suit.
While the images were reportedly meant to boost his public image, they backfired and caused embarrassment.
Although he initially planned to attend the wedding, Thomas later pulled out, citing health issues, while also expressing regret over the staged photo scandal.
It was a turning point that left Meghan’s father estranged and vulnerable to media scrutiny.
Meghan’s Attempts to Calm the Storm
Prince Harry recalled in his memoir Spare that Meghan spent months trying to soothe her father amid relentless media attention.
Every day seemed to bring a new humiliating headline.
So when it emerged that Thomas had actually staged photos with the paparazzi—despite initially denying it—the trust between father and daughter collapsed.
The situation worsened when Thomas suffered a heart attack, which ultimately prevented him from walking Meghan down the aisle.
Instead of fading from view, he began giving media interviews, often lashing out at Meghan and the Royal Family.
Royal Efforts to Intervene
According to Bower, both King Charles (then Prince Charles) and the Queen were frustrated by the ongoing drama.
During Meghan’s visit to the Castle of Mey, Charles allegedly asked Harry: “Can’t she just go and see him and make this stop?”
In a conference call, Charles and the Queen urged Meghan to fly to the U.S. to reconcile with her father.
But Meghan dismissed the suggestion, arguing that such a trip was unrealistic and would only spark a media frenzy.
The Queen and Charles, however, found her reasoning unconvincing and were left perplexed by her refusal.
Meghan and Her Father’s Earlier Bond
While today their relationship is fractured, Meghan and her father once shared a close connection.
Thomas, a hardworking Hollywood lighting director, made sacrifices to provide Meghan with a private education.
He even arranged daily rides to school and indulged her with small luxuries. By his own admission, he “spoiled” her.
But over time, Thomas felt Meghan became more controlling and distant, a dynamic that only grew worse as her royal romance unfolded.
Continuing Media Outbursts
Instead of retreating, Thomas Markle continued speaking to the media.
His first major interview on ITV’s Good Morning Britain earned him around £15,000 and positioned him as a constant presence in the headlines.
Hoping his interviews would serve as a peace offering, Thomas was instead accused by Meghan’s friends of behaving disgracefully.
As Bower noted, rather than silence him, Meghan’s refusal to engage only pushed her father to keep talking publicly—often with sharp criticism of the Royal Family.
The Queen’s Reported Concerns About Meghan
Royal insiders claim the late Queen grew increasingly wary of Meghan in the lead-up to the wedding.
According to Lady Elizabeth Anson, the monarch believed Meghan had charmed her at first but later saw her as “bossy” and potentially problematic.
By 2022, just before her passing, the Queen allegedly described Harry and Meghan’s marriage as a “complete catastrophe.”
She was said to be saddened by Harry’s rudeness during pre-wedding discussions and Meghan’s refusal to share details about her dress, which left the Queen feeling disrespected.
A Father-Daughter Divide That Remains
To this day, Thomas Markle has never met Harry or his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet.
He has since left Mexico and now lives on the Philippine island of Cebu with his son, Thomas Jr. At 80, Thomas says he simply wants peace after years of public drama, hoping to spend his remaining years in a calmer environment.
Yet with the rift between him and Meghan still unresolved—and with thousands of miles now separating them—a reconciliation seems further away than ever.
