The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father Thomas Markle has revealed he doesn’t think his daughter or her husband Prince Harry will see him again until he is ‘lowered into the ground.’
Speaking in Channel 5 documentary ‘Thomas Markle: My Story,’ which airs on Wednesday night, the 75-year-old says he believes the Duke, 35, and Duchess of Sussex, 38, are ‘not thrilled’ with him.
‘The last time they might see me is being lowered into the ground,’ he explains during the interview. ‘I don’t think at this point they’re thrilled to see me or want to talk to me.’
Thomas’ comments come after the Queen’s top aides finalised a deal for the couple, who are stepping back as ‘senior’ royals in a bid to seek financial independence.
Thomas Markle, 75, has opened up about the breakdown of his relationship with daughter Meghan, 38, saying he fears she and Prince Harry won’t see him until he is ‘lowered into the ground.’ Pictured, speaking on Channel 5 TV documentary ‘Thomas Markle: My Story’
Sitting on a wicker chair at his home in Mexico, Thomas, a retired Hollywood lighting director, is filmed talking thoughtfully about his relationship with Meghan and Prince Harry.
He discusses the moment the former Suits actress called to tell him about her new boyfriend, after she met Prince Harry in 2016, but reveals he ‘didn’t know what it meant’ that she was dating a member of the royal family.
He explains: ‘She calls me on the phone and she said, “I’ve got a new boyfriend.” I said, “Great” and she says, “He’s British”.
‘I said “OK” and she said, “He’s a prince.” I said “Alright,” and she said, “He’s Prince Harry”. I said, “Oh, OK”.
Meghan’s father says he suspects the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will never speak to him again. Pictured, Prince Harry and Meghan visiting Canada House in London on 7 January 2020
‘I didn’t know what it meant. She could have been dating a Hollywood star and it would have been just as important to me, because you know either way they are both “high numbers”.’
He continues: ‘She said, “Do you want to talk to him?” and handed him the phone. He said “hello” in a very British way and we talked a bit and that was nice.’
Later, he claims he was told not to apologise to the royal family after he suffered a heart attack which meant he missed the royal wedding.
‘I apologise to you,’ he says. ‘I want to apologise to the Queen and to the royal family. I want to do that and I was told by them, “don’t”.
‘And I was scheduled to go to the airport and go fly to England because they still wanted me to come to the wedding and be at the wedding.
Thomas (pictured during the documentary) also reveals he heard about his daughter’s pregnancy on the radio while he was driving in his car
‘And at that time I got a massive heart attack and was then taken to the Sharp hospital, across the border.’
‘It was in the evening, I’m not sure about the time, maybe about 9 or 10. They took me in and said, “we’ll stabilise you, we’ll take care of you.’
He adds: ‘It was bad. The doctors said that would kill me. They put a stent in here, and another one here.’
‘I had the procedure, and I asked the doctor, “can I fly tomorrow?” He laughed at me and said, “there’s no way you can fly anywhere.”‘
‘So I spoke to Meghan and Harry. I think I rang them at this point, because I’d already told them I would be coming now. I called them and said, “I can’t come.”‘
‘I’m sure Meghan cried and was very upset, and I’m sure Harry seemed upset.’
Mr Markle, who claims he has not spoken to the Duchess since before the wedding, which he missed because of heart surgery, says he believes their relationship is now beyond repair
He also discusses hearing that his daughter was pregnant through the radio in his car, rather than over the phone like he had always dreamed of.
‘I was sitting in my car waiting to cross the border and I heard the good news from the royals is that Meghan is pregnant,’ Thomas explains.
‘Which is almost a joke when you tell people, well you heard it on the radio.’
‘This is my daughter, talking about my grandchild. She’s going to have a grandchild that’s mine.
‘I’m not hearing about it on the phone, I’m hearing about it on the radio.’
The 90-minute documentary explores the background to what he calls his ‘complicated’ relationship with his daughter and their dramatic fallout in the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.
In addition, it charts Meghan’s formative years – she lived with Thomas between the ages of 11 and 18.
‘Thomas Markle: My Story’ airs on Wednesday night at 9pm