Thomas Markle's 80th Birthday Plea To Meghan And Harry Is His Most Desperate Yet
While the rift between Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and the royal family is ongoing, there's also still the ongoing fallout between Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and her father Thomas Markle. Thomas is now about to turn 80 on July 18, and he told Daily Mail that his one birthday wish involved his estranged daughter and grandkids. "I've never been one for birthdays," Thomas said to the publication, "but I know the one person I most want to hear from, Meghan, won't be in touch. I would love to meet my grandchildren, but I would be happy with a photograph at this stage."
Along with not meeting his grandkids — Archie and Lilibet — he still hasn't met Harry and he doesn't seem to know why. "When I reflect back on my life, as you do when you are approaching 80, that's one of the questions I cannot find an answer for."
Not getting a chance to meet his grandkids has been a common refrain from Thomas Markle. In 2023, he gave an interview with "Good Morning Britain," in which he said he was being "denied the right to see a grandchild." It's something he felt he had in common with King Charles III; however, while the king has also apparently wished he had a better connection to Archie and Lilibet, the king has had a chance to meet the grandkids.
The drama between Thomas Markle goes back to Harry and Meghan's wedding
In a 2021 interview with "60 Minutes Australia," Thomas Markle, who's living in Mexico, spoke about it being hard to be close to Meghan Markle and their family in California but to not get a chance to see them. He said they could visit anytime, but didn't think they would.
It makes sense in the broad sense that a grandfather would want to meet his grandchildren. However, within the context of the breakdown of the relationship between Meghan and her father, we could see why it hasn't happened. Before Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding, staged photos of Thomas getting measured for a suit and looking at photos of his daughter and husband-to-be were published. It's something that Meghan's half-sister Samantha Markle says was her idea, and which Thomas later said he wished he hadn't done.
Thomas didn't attend Harry and Meghan's wedding, apparently in part because of those photos and also, seemingly, because of his health. He had two heart attacks shortly before the wedding. Meghan's father's health has continued to falter with Thomas reportedly suffering a stroke in 2022. Thomas later reportedly leaked some of a letter that Meghan had sent him after her wedding, which was then published in the Daily Mail. Harry and Meghan later sued the publication over the incident. It seems like there's pain on both sides, and we can imagine that it would be hard to rebuild trust after all that.