Thomas’ BABY bombshell
It was meant to be a way of doing damage control and making up for previous faux pas like those staged paparazzi shots. But Thomas Markle’s decision to talk about his daughter Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in a British TV interview has led to him copping even more flak.
He’s been criticised for not respecting his daughter’s privacy and for continuing to cash in on her new role, and royal experts believe the Queen will not be amused that Thomas revealed personal details about Prince Harry’s political beliefs.
Thomas (73) gave an exclusive interview to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on the TV show Good Morning Britain to set the record straight about why he missed Meghan’s wedding, and also why he collaborated with a paparazzi photographer. During the interview, he talked about the heart attack he suffered in the days before the wedding and also explained that he’d arranged for the fake paparazzi pictures to be taken because he wanted to be seen in a more positive light. However, he also managed to reveal that Meghan (36) longs to have a baby, and shared Harry’s views on Brexit and US president Donald Trump.
Critics say the interview was a mistake, and that he should remain tight-lipped when it comes to personal details about Meghan and Harry’s relationship, as well as their political leanings. Harry’s biographer Angela Levin was horrified to hear Thomas recounting the conversation about politics.
Thomas said the prince – who he has never met – told him he was “open to the experiment” of Brexit. They also chatted about Donald Trump and when Thomas complained about the new president, Harry (33) told him, “Give him a chance.”
“I would say he’s probably changed his mind now – I hope he has,” added Thomas.
Angela says, “I think the Queen will be very angry. She is absolutely the model of the stiff upper lip and not saying anything that is too political.”
She adds, “Harry will be very cross but I think he will put all his energy into caring for Meghan. He is a very caring man with those he likes and loves, and think he will realise how upset she has been by this.”
Angela was also shocked to hear Thomas talk about his daughter’s desire to start a family. He told Piers and Susanna, “She’s wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and how much she loved him… There’s got to be a child soon. I don’t think the stork has hit the air yet, but it’ll happen sooner or later.”
Angela says, “I can’t imagine that Meghan is anything other than horrified that he has told the world that she is desperate for a baby and that they are trying to make a baby. I don’t know if he would know about the second part, but it is a really terrible thing to say.”
While Thomas has been slammed by commentators on social media who say he should have respected his daughter and son-in-law’s privacy, others have pointed out that he was
“grilled” by Piers and, unused to being interviewed, was only trying to answer the questions put to him.
Thomas was flown from his home in
Mexico to a hotel in California to do the interview, for which he was allegedly paid around $15,000.
Kensington Palace did not know about it in advance and had no comment to make afterwards.
The former Hollywood lighting director spoke about his dismay at missing the wedding after he had a heart attack and needed surgery to remove a blockage on his aorta that would have killed him. He said Harry and Meghan were disappointed he couldn’t come – Meghan cried – but they told him his health had to be the priority.
“They both said, ‘Take care of yourself; we’re really worried about you.’ They said the important thing was that
I get better.”
He added that he was grateful to the Prince of
Wales for stepping in to walk Meghan down the aisle. “I was honoured. I can’t think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles. I was jealous – I wish I had been there, I wish it had been me – but thank God he was there. I thank him for that.”
He added, “It might have been a treat for him as well as he didn’t have a daughter.”
Thomas said he watched the wedding from a B&B, where he hid out after being released from hospital, and was very proud of Meghan.
“She was beautiful. It was incredible watching her walking down the aisle. I cried a little bit.
WHILE TRYING TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT, MEGHAN’S DAD BLINDSIDES THE PALACE WITH AN INTERVIEW ‘ There’s got to be a child soon. I don’t think the stork has hit the air yet’
The whole world was watching my daughter. The unfortunate thing for me now is that I am the footnote in one of the greatest moments in history, rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. So that upsets me.”
Thomas also came clean about colluding with the paparazzi photographer. The pictures, which appeared a few weeks before the wedding, showed him in Rosarito, the Mexican town where he lives, supposedly being fitted for a suit, exercising and looking at a royal website on a computer in an internet café.
“I didn’t do this for the money; I did it to change my image,” he says. “Pictures of me in the last year made me look negative. I was presented as a hermit hiding out in Mexico. I thought this would be a way of improving my look. Obviously that all went to hell.”
Thomas said he expressed his remorse to both Meghan and Harry about the pictures. “I spoke to them both and apologised. I realised it was a serious mistake. I feel bad about it.” They were both
“very forgiving”, he added.
Thomas also revealed that Harry had phoned him to ask his permission to marry Meghan, which he gave as long as the prince promised to “never raise his hand” to his daughter. He said he had no idea how intense the media attention would be when the relationship was made public and it had been invasive, but “my daughter is now seen all over the world as a duchess. I’ll adjust to it.”
Thomas has never spoken to any of his daughter’s new in-laws but says he would love to meet the Queen, who he described as “one of the most incredible women in the world”.
Whether Her Majesty will be keen to meet him, given the fact she could be furious about him speaking out, remains to be seen, but it appears that if anyone can talk the Queen into anything at the moment, it’s Meghan. She seems to be getting on extraordinarily well with her grandmother-in-law, judging by their appearances together at recent royal events.
The pair were seen smiling and laughing together last week at the Ascot races and in the northern English county of Cheshire, where Meghan accompanied the Queen for their first joint engagement.
At one stage, while the pair were watching a performance by schoolchildren, Meghan leaned over and whispered something in the Queen’s ear. Her Majesty laughed, then did a canoeing action, imitating the children in good fun.
Royal observers say this response was quite a break with tradition, but that her behaviour with Meghan was one more sign that there’s some truth to the rumour “that Meghan and the Queen are getting on like a house on fire. The open display of warmth between the two women was a real surprise.”
There was one slightly awkward moment during the visit, when Meghan stood back to let the Queen get into a car, but Her Majesty gestured for Meghan to go first. The Queen wanted to get in second so she could sit in her favoured position behind the driver, but Meghan didn’t appear to be aware of that. While there was confusion, it was unlikely to have annoyed the monarch, says etiquette expert William Hanson. “It was a considerate gesture from the Duchess of Sussex to let the Queen go first, but in this case, she didn’t want to.”
Meghan’s obvious respect will be gaining the Queen’s approval, says another palace source, and hopefully that will help mitigate any issues caused by her father speaking out.