Thomas Markle’s olive branch after Meghan’s big reveal
Source: Instagram
The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father Thomas Markle said he dreams of bringing his “whole family together” and wishes Meghan “no ill will”.
Markle, 80, told the Mail on Sunday that “every day I see something about Meghan”, adding he did not “like some of the things my daughter has done” but would “always love her”.
In an interview, Markle said he had decided to leave his coastal home in Rosarito, Mexico, adding that he was considering moving to South-East Asia.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since around the time of her wedding to Prince Harry.
Markle, a retired television lighting director and director of photography, made global headlines after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days ahead of the ceremony on May 19, 2018.
Meghan has previously said she discovered her father was not going to attend her wedding “through a tabloid”.
He told the newspaper he had “apologised repeatedly” for the paparazzi drama.
“I was totally alone and being hounded,” he said.
Speaking from his home in Rosarito, Markle told the Mail on Sunday: “I’m not running away. I am going in search of a more positive life.
“Every day I see something about Meghan. This week it has been the new TV show.”
Last week, the Duchess of Sussex gave the world a first look at her new lifestyle series on Netflix. It followed her return to social media on New Year’s Day with a moody, black and white video of herself at the beach, wearing white and drawing 2025 in the sand.
Meghan’s new eight-part Netflix series, which launches on January 15, involves her inviting friends and famous guests to a California estate, where she shares cooking, gardening and hosting tips.
Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Productions helped to make the series, which is titled With Love, Meghan. She also gets a credit as an executive producer.
Discussing his daughter, Markle said: “I wish her no ill will. My dream is that one day I could bring my whole family together, like a normal family.
“There were good times. She was a good girl. I don’t like some of the things my daughter has done but I will always love her.
“My door is always open to her. I love her and that will never change. I love all my children.”
Markle told the newspaper he feared he would never meet his grandchildren, five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet. He also confirmed he had not yet met his son-in-law, who is the younger son of the King.
Markle has previously publicly begged his daughter to allow him to see her children.
“This is a cruel thing to do to a grandparent … To deny the right to see their grandchild,” he told British TV last year.
He has also spoken about his his estrangement from Meghan.
“The one thing I never imagined was Meghan turning against me at this point in my life. I thought she would always be there for me. Meghan was mad at me because I posed for some paparazzi pictures before the wedding,” he said.
Meghan took the publisher of the Mail on Sunday – Associated Newspapers Limited – to court, after it published parts of a personal letter to her father, winning the case in 2021.
Discussing his plans to leave Mexico, Markle said: “I want whatever time I have to be peaceful with none of the awful drama of recent years.
“I am ready for a change. I have felt stuck in a rut for some time and I am ready to meet new people and experience kindness.”
He said he would “always have a soft spot in my heart for the kind people of the UK”, adding that the “British people have been so kind to me”.
-with AAP
