Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex and mother of an almost four-month-old British royal, has no intention of letting her son Archie meet his grandfather Thomas Markle, as she needs to “to protect herself, her husband and her son”, The Sun reported on Sunday, citing a royal source.
“It’s a terribly sad situation but Meghan has made the very difficult decision that she doesn’t have an active relationship with her father anymore”, the source claimed, going on to say “this was actually a decision she made some time ago and it is something she’s now coming to terms with”.
“It’s obviously heart-breaking for her but she has to protect herself, her husband and her son”, added the source.
The news came after 75-year-old Thomas Markle, who currently lives in Mexico, said to the Daily Mail on Sunday, 1 September, that he was “disappointed” at not being able to see Archie, as he hoped that motherhood would “mellow” his daughter, who cut all ties with her father 16 months ago, and that he would finally get to meet both Prince Harry and his royal grandson.
The family feud began more than a year ago after it was revealed to the 38-year old former actress and then wife-to-be, that her father had collaborated with the British paparazzi in secret to stage a series of photos prior to the royal wedding.
Prince Charles, her husband Harry’s father, was the one who walked the Duchess of Sussex down the aisle in May 2018, as her father Thomas Markle had reportedly suffered a heart attack and failed to attend the wedding – although he later claimed that he never received an official wedding invitation. Meghan has not spoken to her father since, according to Mr Markle, and neither has his daughter’s husband Prince Harry, who has never met Thomas, but asked for Meghan’s hand in marriage via a phone call.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Thomas Markle argued that he believed that he has been unfairly “vilified” by his daughter and “shut out” of their family’s life.
“No father deserves this kind of abuse when he's been that good to his daughter. Ask anyone who knows us both. I've been very kind and generous to my daughter", said Mr Markle on Sunday, “Everyone raves about how gracious and wonderful they are, but they are not wonderful to their own family. That's hypocritical”.
“You can't portray yourself as being charitable and bringing people together and then ghost your own father and your entire family. Their treatment of me has left a lot to be desired,” he added.
The Duchess of Sussex's father also briefly touched upon the private jet controversy that erupted last month following the royal couple’s trips to Sir Elton John’s home and Ibiza by saying “I've still never met my son-in-law. Why couldn't Prince Harry have got on a plane and flown to see me to ask for her hand? He obviously has no problem getting on private jets”.
He also regretted not being able to see his grandson Archie in person.
“I would like them to send me a picture of Archie so I can frame it and put it on my wall beside the one of Meghan. Isn't that what any grandfather would want? I'd love to know if he's got the famous Markle nose”.
Mr Markle previously had a number of interviews with media outlets following a spat with his daughter. In December 2018, prior to the birth of his grandson Archie, he stated that he could not understand why Meghan was “ghosting” him, by arguing that he had apologised for the staged-photos incident “100 times”.
“I don't feel that's worthy of being shunned or ghosted, that's ridiculous", Thomas Markle said, claiming that he has been texting his daughter every day since the incident, but has not received a response back.
Meghan Markle, who was raised in Los Angeles and previously married to actor and producer Trevor Engelson, joined the royal family in May, 2018 when she married Prince Harry Windsor, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II. The Duchess of Sussex gave birth to Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, who is seventh in line to British throne, on 6 May 2019.