How Meghan Markle's Father Feels About Not Seeing His Grandkids
Thomas Markle has never shied away from speaking to the press about his relationship — or lack thereof — with his daughter and her children. That said, it's not all that surprising that in September 2023, he revealed his feelings about never having met Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor on "Good Morning Britain." However, let's just say his approach to sharing his feelings makes a reconciliation even more unlikely.
Thomas has been incredibly vocal about not meeting his youngest daughter's children since Meghan Markle gave birth to Archie in 2019. Starting off with lamenting that he wasn't involved in the christening, he's slammed both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for not letting him be part of their lives over the years. In fact, in 2021, he vowed to "Good Morning Britain" that he would do monthly interviews until the couple contacted him to remedy that. Not long after, however, Lilibet was born, and Thomas wasn't introduced to her, either.
Thomas' interview threat wasn't the smartest game plan, given that Meghan has said his speaking to the media was the reason for their estrangement. Whether it was a smart move or not, Thomas has followed through — and in his September 2023 offering, once again slammed Meghan for cutting him off. He also ever-so-subtly threatened that he could take legal action against her. That's right: Thomas feels so strongly about seeing his grandchildren that he's hinted at suing his daughter to do it.
He accused Meghan of cruelty against him and the king
During his interview on "Good Morning Britain," Thomas Markle shared his devastation over not having met Archie or Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor yet. He also accused Meghan Markle of being unnecessarily unkind by preventing a meeting from taking place. His take? Nothing he'd done was detrimental enough to warrant being so completely cut off from their lives — and that he'd always been a good father.
Thomas wasn't only incensed at his own isolation, though. During the same interview, he criticized the Duke and Duchess of Sussex for preventing Archie and Lilibet from having a relationship with King Charles as well. "This is a cruel thing to do to a grandparent. Not to just me, to the King of England as well," he explained. It echoed a similar statement from 2022 when he responded to rumors that Prince Harry wouldn't permit the late Queen Elizabeth II to meet Lilibet. "I think it's the cruelest, meanest thing he can do," he'd told GBNews. The rumors proved false, and the couple did introduce Lilibet to her great-grandmother. However, Thomas' commentary undoubtedly added to the anxieties the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had about fostering a relationship between him and their children.
All that said, whether or not his attempts at meeting his grandchildren have been well-thought-out, it's clear that Thomas feels his daughter and son-in-law are at fault. So much so, that he's threatened to sue — twice.
He's made legal threats, but don't expect him to sue
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Thomas Markle's choice to share his feelings on the world stage hasn't led to his daughter having a change of heart. That may be the reason why he's switched gears on occasion and threatened to take legal action.
In his "Good Morning Britain" interview, Thomas claimed that California laws allowed him to sue Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to see the Mountbatten-Windsor kids but that he'd opted not to. In 2021, he'd told the outlet the same thing. In that interview, he'd explained how he didn't want to bring the children into the drama and hoped one day he and Meghan would be in a place where she genuinely wanted to have him around her brood without being legally obliged to. Nevertheless, it's worth noting that when discussing the matter with Fox News, divorce lawyer Christopher C. Melcher cautioned that a lawsuit would likely not end in Thomas' favor.
Regardless of everything that's been said, it's clear that Thomas desperately wants to have a relationship with his grandchildren. And, as he shared on the "7News Spotlight" documentary, his only goal was coming to a resolution with Meghan and being able to see the kids. It's certainly a sad situation all around, but until Thomas stops speaking to the press and threatening legal action, we're not counting on the current dynamic changing any time soon.