It seems like every other day, Thomas Markle is speaking to another British media outlet about his relationship with his daughter, Duchess Meghan.
But now, five of the Duchess of Sussex’s close friends have revealed Meghan’s side to the story about her estranged relationship with her father, particularly in the aftermath of the royal wedding, when she wrote a letter begging him to “stop victimising” her through the media.
Speaking to PEOPLE, Meghan’s best friends claim that Thomas never once tried to reach out to her via phone or text. Even after he staged papparazzi photos in an attempt to gain sympathy, both Meghan and Harry were determined to have him at the wedding.
“The next morning when the car got there [to take him to the airport], he wouldn’t get in. [Later] Meg heard he had a heart attack and she’s calling and texting, even up to the night before the wedding. It was like, ‘Please pick up. I love you, and I’m scared.’ It was endless.”
Thomas Markle famously skipped the royal wedding in May last year. (Image: Getty Images)
In the end, Thomas, who was originally meant to walk his daughter down the aisle, did not attend the wedding at St George’s Chapel. But despite the happiness of the big day, Meghan penned a heartbreaking letter to her dad to tell him how she felt.
“She’s like, ‘Dad, I’m so heartbroken. I love you. I have one father. Please stop victimising me through the media so we can repair our relationship.’ Because every time her team has to come to her and fact-check something [he has said], it’s an arrow to the heart.”
WATCH: Prince Charles walks Meghan Markle down the aisle. Post continues…
Thomas replied with a long letter himself but closed it asking for a photo op with her.
Meghan’s friend went on to say, “And she feels like, ‘That’s the opposite of what I’m saying. 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.”
Royal mum-to-be Meghan has faced her fair share of criticism and has even been nicknamed ‘Hurricane Meghan’ and ‘Difficult Duchess.’ But her friends were quick to point out that her ‘diva-ish’ behaviour is a total rumour.
Will Meghan and Harry’s relationship with Thomas change once their baby is born? (Image: Getty Images)
“Who you see at walkabouts, when she crouches down to talk to the kids and genuinely has real conversations with people, that’s Meg,” says one of her former costars.
“That’s how she crouches down with our kids at home. How she plays with them. That’s how she engages with people and how she always has. She asks their names; she listens to their stories. And she’s genuinely interested. We see a person who treats everyone the same.”
Another former colleague added, “If I’m thrown some kind of curveball, I always think, ‘I gotta talk to Meg.’ We talk daily. And the first thing out of her mouth is, ‘How are the kids? How are you?’ I’m not even allowed to ask about her until she finds out about me.”
Even her estranged dad has previously said he was “absolutely delighted” by the royal pregnancy news with a source telling The Sun, “He thinks Meghan will make a great mum as she is already so maternal.”
