Meghan Markle's Dad Reveals One Decision Prince Harry Made That Never Made Sense to Him. Prince Harry's troubled relationships with his father, King Charles, and his brother, Prince William, are well known. However, the strained relationship between Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, is also significant. The Duchess of Sussex and her father have been estranged since 2018, and reportedly, there has been no contact since then.
The 79-year-old, who turns 80 in July, has never met his two grandchildren, 5-year-old Archie and 3-year-old Lilibet. Thomas Markle, a retired lighting director, now lives in Mexico, just 250 miles from his daughter's home in California. He remains baffled by certain aspects of their relationship.
Speaking to the Mail Online, Thomas Markle expressed his confusion: "When I reflect back on my life, as you do when you're approaching 80, one of the questions I cannot find an answer for is: Why didn't Harry ever come to meet me? He has the resources to fly around the world and often does, but why didn't he come to see me, especially when people in the royal household, like Jason Knauf, Harry and Meghan's former communications secretary, were urging him to do so? That never made sense to me," he said.
He continued, "I'm going through cancer treatment, and I'm not in the best of health. I'm not afraid of dying; it is what it is. But I have so many questions I'd like to ask Meghan and Harry. The main one being: Why have they treated not only me but also the royal family and the King so badly?"
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have faced criticism from a royal commentator for contradicting themselves regarding their potential future unofficial royal tours. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited Nigeria for three days in May, hinting at more tours in the future. At the time, Harry told People magazine, "It is hugely important for us to meet directly with people supporting our causes and listen to bring about solutions, support, and positive change. There's only so much one can do from home and over Zoom, so we look forward to traveling more because the work matters. Whether it's the Archewell Foundation, Invictus, or any of our other causes, there will always be reasons to meet the people at the heart of our work."
However, a royal commentator based in Australia has blasted the couple's plans, calling them out for contradicting themselves. Sky News Australia contributor Louise Roberts said more tours around the world would put them in the spotlight, contrary to the more peaceful life they sought to have. The couple stepped back from senior royal duties for a life of privacy in the U.S. Details of which country they will visit next or when they may embark on such a trip are unknown.
Roberts remarked, "In May, after their successful tour, Harry made the comment that they want to do more of this. So, these are the people who were obsessed with their privacy, but a world tour, of course, is a direct contradiction to that. We have no details of where they'll go. They can't go where Charles and Camilla will go, obviously. They can't come to Australia. What would the upshot be? Will it just be another branding exercise, another Netflix exercise? Who knows? Is it just material, or is it actually getting to meet the people of the Commonwealth?"
Back in 2021, during the couple's infamous Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said all she and Harry wanted after quitting the royal family and moving to America in 2020 was a basic right to privacy. "I think everyone has a basic right to privacy," she said. "We're not talking about anything that anybody else wouldn't expect." While their official statement in January 2020 made no mention of privacy, it announced their plans to step down as senior working royals. Meghan told Oprah that the media created a false narrative. "I've never talked about privacy," she said. The couple wanted boundaries and respect, explaining, "There's no one on Instagram or social media that would say because I shared this one picture, that entitles you to have my entire camera roll. Go ahead and look through it. No one would want that. So, it's about boundaries and respect."
Earlier in January 2020, during a speech to the Sentebale charity, Harry said, "I've accepted this, knowing it doesn't change who I am or how committed I am, but I hope that helps you understand what it had come to that I would step back from all I have ever known to take a step forward into what I hope can be a more peaceful life."
