Why Meghan won’t give in to her ‘difficult’ dad

The Timing couldn’t have been worse. After weeks of reports claiming Meghan Markle had become a ‘difficult duchess’, responsible for everything from making Kate Middleton cry, to members of her team quitting, and Princes Harry and William drifting apart, her father Thomas Markle appeared on British TV in yet another damaging interview.

Speaking to Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain, the 74-year-old claimed he had been ‘ghosted’ by Meghan since she married Prince Harry, that his daily texts asking for contact had all gone ignored, and that the Queen should intervene to help settle their rift. ‘I would think she would want to resolve any family problems’, he said. ‘All families, royal or not, need to be together, especially in the holidays.’ Eyebrows were raised in particular about Thomas’s choice of interviewee: Piers Morgan had, just weeks earlier, branded the Duchess of Sussex a ‘ruthless social climbing actress… determined to milk it for all she can’.

Indeed, as has been the case each time Thomas speaks out, the move appeared to backfire. Hundreds jumped to Meghan’s defence on social media, with some even claiming that Thomas’s decision to repeatedly speak out against his own daughter was ‘emotionally abusive’. But for her part, Meghan remained steadfastly silent; instead, heading to a Royal Variety care home on a solo visit the following day.

‘Meghan’s strategy has always been to ignore her father’s comments and not give in to his demands,’ said a royal source. 

‘ There have been talks about the palace in crisis, but the truth is they’re sticking to their guns and Meghan is determined not to change her approach. It is very doubtful that there will be a change of stance.’ A second source added, ‘ There are no crisis talks. The plan is simple. Meghan will continue to ignore her father. But many observers feel that there is only one way to sort this mess, and that is for Meghan and Harry to meet privately with Thomas – and then get him to sign a legally binding non-disclosure agreement.’

‘It’s a very sad situation all round, and it’s hard to see how it can be resolved,’ former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told Grazia following Thomas’s interview. ‘But the royal family have had to deal with delicate problems like this before. Diana frequently fell out with her mother and went through long periods of refusing to talk to her. She also blanked Fergie, and she and Charles both went on national TV confessing to adultery. In that context, Thomas’s interviews aren’t unprecedented.’

She added, ‘I’m sure the Queen will be saddened to see yet another rift, but I don’t think the family will apply any pressure on Meghan. They will let her deal with it as she sees fit. She is just doing what she feels is right in this situation.’

But unfortunately, it seems there’s no telling when Thomas’s interviews may come to an end. ‘ There’s a big part of Thomas that would love to say that this was his last ever interview, but really that’s down to Meghan,’ said a source. ‘If he’s still waiting on a call by early in the new year, then there’s every likelihood he’ll pipe up and give more quotes. He is a desperate, broken man who’ll do whatever he thinks it takes to get his daughter’s attention. What he doesn’t seem to realise is that his actions are only seeming to push her further away.’