Looking back at Thomas Markle's most explosive comments about Meghan Markle
The father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has spent years estranged from his daughter
As Thomas Markle marks his 81st birthday, the occasion is likely bittersweet.
The father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has spent years estranged from his daughter, with no contact since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
Their rift famously erupted after Thomas posed for staged paparazzi photos before the royal wedding, followed by health scares that kept him from walking Meghan down the aisle.
Since then, Thomas has repeatedly gone public with his heartbreak, sharing grievances and pleas for reconciliation.
Here are five of his most revealing and painful statements.
1. “Meghan has never been authentic”
Thomas recently slammed Meghan’s Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, calling it inauthentic.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “Unfortunately, Meghan has never been authentic. She has to think about everything. She’s not spontaneous… She’s trying so hard to be perfect that she tenses up every time the camera is on her.”
He claimed he can instantly tell when his daughter is “faking it for the cameras.”
2. “I will always love her”
Despite their falling out, Thomas insists his love for Meghan is unwavering.
Earlier this year, he told the Mail on Sunday: “I wish her no ill-will… My door is always open to her. I love her and that will never change. I love all my children.”
3. “Meghan has ghosted her family”
After Meghan’s 2021 Oprah interview, in which she spoke of “losing” her father, Thomas hit back on Good Morning Britain: “She’s pretty much ghosted all of her family, on her mother’s side and my side… She would’ve had us if she’d kept us. We all make mistakes.”
4. “She got every girl’s dream”
In a Channel 5 documentary, Thomas Markle: My Story, he lamented Meghan’s decision to step away from royal life: “Every young girl wanted to become a princess, and she got that, and now she’s tossing that away… It looks like she’s tossing that away for money.”
5. “I heard about Lilibet on the radio”
Perhaps the most heartbreaking: Thomas claims he learned about the birth of his granddaughter Lilibet through the media.
Speaking to 60 Minutes Australia, he said: “No phone calls, I just heard it on the radio… There’s a good chance I might never see my grandchildren.”
Where is Thomas Markle now?
Once a Hollywood lighting director, Thomas now lives in a £500-a-month apartment on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, having relocated from his longtime home in Mexico.
RELATED: Why Meghan Markle kept Prince Harry away from her father, Thomas Markle
