Meghan Markle wrote her father, Thomas, an emotional letter after the royal wedding, despite his claims that she has not kept in touch with him, People reports. Five of the Duchess of Sussex's closest friends spoke to the magazine, revealing new details about the royal's dynamic with her dad.
Meghan's father made headlines ahead of the wedding after he was outed for staging paparazzi photos in an attempt to better his image in the media. He ultimately missed his daughter's nuptials because of a last-minute heart surgery days before the event. Since then, Thomas Markle has occasionally spoken to British press about his relationship with his daughter. In August, he told The Mail on Sunday that Meghan "won’t speak to me" and that "she and Harry have put up a wall of silence."
However, Meghan's pals tell People that the duchess has not heard from her father. "He knows how to get in touch with her. Her telephone number hasn’t changed,” a "longtime friend" told the magazine. “He’s never called; he’s never texted." The source added the experience was "super painful" for Meghan, who feels "a lot of sympathy" for her dad.
Meghan and Harry did attempt to get in touch with Thomas after his paparazzi photo debacle, as they still intended to have him come to London for the wedding. (He was supposed to walk Meghan down the aisle, but her father-in-law Prince Charles ultimately filled in.) "Tom wouldn’t take her calls, wouldn’t take Harry’s calls," Meghan's friend said.
After the wedding, Meghan reached out to her dad the old-fashioned way, via letter. "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,’" the insider told People. "Because every time her team has to come to her and fact-check something [he has said], it’s an arrow to the heart."
Thomas wrote Meghan back, but reportedly asked for a photo op with his daughter, seemingly missing her point of not communicating through the media. "It’s almost like they’re ships passing," the duchess' friend explained.
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
