Thomas Markle and Prince Charles are unlikely to meet their new grandchild anytime soon due to ongoing rifts with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, royal experts have claimed.
Prince Harry and Meghan who are based in Montecito, California, welcomed their second child Lilibet ‘Lili’ Diana Mountbatten-Windsor at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, on Friday 4 June.
Their daughter weighed 7 lbs 11 oz, and the couple announced her birth at 5pm today through their Archewell website, rather than through Buckingham Palace, like they did for their son, Archie.
The statement from the couple – who have quit royal duties since the birth of their firstborn – also used american spellings such as ‘honor’ when revealing the news.
It’s thought that Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland has been among the first relatives to greet the newborn, as she was close by her daughter’s side after the arrival of Archie in 2019.
However, royal biographer Robert Jobson, has explained why it’s unlikely we’ll see the other grandparents sharing in the joy of a face-to-face meeting.
He told FEMAIL: ‘As it stands it seems unlikely that either grandfather will meet their new granddaughter for some time. Thomas is not the only one facing problems with Harry and Meghan.’
Thomas Markle hasn’t met Prince Harry or Archie, having appeared in a series of explosive interviews about his strained relationship with his daughter. Pictured: Meghan with her father
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have welcomed their second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten Windsor, weighing 7lbs 11oz
In the early days of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s relationship, Thomas Markle was rarely seen in public and seemed to be making a conscience effort to maintain his privacy.
However, the 76-year-old was said to have collaborated with a British paparazzi photographer to stage a series of snaps just days before Harry and Meghan’s wedding at Windsor Castle in 2018.
Among the photos was Thomas being measured for a suit to wear to the monumental event, browsing for a book of British landmarks and working out to get in shape.
He was supposed to walk Meghan down the aisle, but pulled out of the ceremony because of health problems.
In an interview, he claimed to have hung up on Prince Harry, who he has still not met, in a heated exchange following the staged snaps for cash.
Royal author Nigel Cawthorne, said Thomas Markle is likely to meet his grandchildren in the future but not at the moment. Pictured: Meghan and Harry with baby Archie
Thomas’s relationship with his daughter seemed to have soured following the row as he gave interviews following the wedding, claiming he had been ‘cut off’ as a punishment.
The retired Hollywood lighting director who lives in Mexico, went on to give an interview, claiming he didn’t receive an invitation to Harry and Meghan’s wedding, meanwhile his ex-wife Doria Ragland was hand delivered a scroll bearing the Queen’s formal announcement by two representatives at her Los Angeles home.
Thomas said: ‘No one came to my door in Mexico. I would have liked the engagement announcement too.’
He has appeared in a series of explosive interviews since Meghan and Harry tied the knot, which is said to have caused a further rift.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana are pictured in Kensington Palace, London, with their sons Prince William and Prince Harry (left), December 1986
Meghan lived with her father between the ages of 11 and 18, with Thomas Markle claiming he paid for her school fees and college tuition
Despite alleging to have once been close, Thomas has never met his grandson Archie and claimed he only learned his daughter was pregnant when he heard it on the radio.
Nigel Cawthorne who is author of Call Me Diana: The Princess of Wales on Herself, believes Thomas won’t meet his grandchildren until the distant future.
‘In due course he very likely will, but at the moment he won’t be at the top of the couple’s list for obvious reasons,’ Nigel said.
Harry has claimed he left the Royal Family to ‘break the cycle of pain’ he suffered. Pictured: Prince Charles and Prince Harry at the ‘Our Planet’ global premiere in 2019
‘Harry is likely to channel his mother’s inclusive philosophy. While it may be satisfactory to exclude a grandfather from seeing a grandchild for certain reasons, there is also a grace in being forgiving.
‘Diana possessed such grace even if at times it took a conscious effort to do the right thing.’
The comment comes as Harry’s relationship with his father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen is also under scrutiny, as he alleges that his father failed him as a child.
In a recent US mental health podcast, he claimed to have moved to California with his family to ‘break the cycle’ of ‘pain’ he suffered as a member of the Royal Family.
Archie hasn’t seen any of his British relatives since he was six-months-old. Pictured: Members of the Royal Family at Prince Philip’s funeral
He likened his experience to the upbringing Charles received from the Queen and Prince Philip, saying the Prince of Wales had ‘treated me the way he was treated’, calling it ‘genetic pain’.
He also admitted that he wanted to quit The Firm in his ‘early 20s’ due to ‘what it did to my mum’ and said Meghan encouraged him to have therapy and had herself now concluded: ‘You don’t need to be a princess’.
Prince Harry had just months earlier accused a member of the Royal Family of racism towards his son Archie, two, as one of many truth bombs during a sit down with Oprah Winfrey.
Royal sources have claimed the Queen is ‘deeply upset’ by what she considers a series of ‘very personal’ criticisms of the family.
The monarch saw Prince Harry for the first time in more than a year at the funeral of her husband Prince Philip and hasn’t seen her two-year-old great-grandson, since November 2019.
Royal author Phil Dampier recently told The Sun, the 95-year-old may never see Archie again, as he hasn’t seen any of his British relatives since he was six-months-old.
Phil said: ‘I think there is a very real danger the Queen will never see Archie again or never see her new great granddaughter which is tragic.
‘I can’t see how when they [Meghan and Harry] go on about compassion and family problems but don’t let their grandfather or great-grandmother see Archie.’