Meghan Markle's Father Reveals Why He Shared The Letter She Wrote To Him

Prince Harry opened up on October 1 about why he and his wife, Meghan Markle, are suing the Mail on Sunday after the outlet published a handwritten letter that Markle sent her estranged father. While the royal didn't say how the Mail on Sunday got a hold of the letter, the Duchess of Sussex's father has recently filled in the blanks. 

In a move that has most people scratching their heads, Thomas Markle went to the very outlet that his daughter and her husband are suing, telling the Mail on Sunday his side of the story on October 5.

"I decided to release parts of the letter because of the article from Meghan's friends in People magazine," said Thomas Markle. "I have to defend myself. I only released parts of the letter because other parts were so painful. The letter didn't seem loving to me. I found it hurtful."

Thomas was referring to a story People ran in February, in which an anonymous source claiming to be a friend of Meghan Markle commented on the rift between Markle and her father, and revealed the existence of the letter she wrote him. "After the wedding she wrote him a letter," said the source. "She's like, 'Dad, I'm so heartbroken. I love you. I have one father. Please stop victimizing me through the media so we can repair our relationship.'"

The source added that Thomas responded to his daughter's letter, concluding it with a request for a photo op which upset Meghan Markle. "She feels like, 'That's the opposite of what I'm saying,'" said the source. "'I'm telling you I don't want to communicate through the media, and you're asking me to communicate through the media. Did you hear anything I said?' It's almost like they're ships passing."

Thomas Markle said that instead of viewing the letter from his daughter as an attempt at a reconciliation, he saw it as "a final farewell."

In spite of the rift between them, Markle's dad is insistent that he wants to mend things with her and that he only shared the letter because it hurt his feelings. "When I opened the letter I was hoping it was the olive branch I'd longed for," he said. "I was expecting something that would be a pathway to reconciliation. Instead it was deeply hurtful. I was so devastated I couldn't show it to anyone — and never would have, had it not been for the People magazine piece which meant I had to release portions to defend myself."

Thomas Markle added that he hopes he and his daughter can still repair their relationship. "I don't recognize the person who wrote the letter but I still love my daughter," he said. "All it would take is one phone call and most of this craziness would stop."