Prince Harry has said he blamed himself for Meghan’s rift with her father Thomas Markle because “if Meg wasn’t with me, her father would still be her father”.
In episode three of the couple’s Netflix docu-series, released today, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reflect on the events leading up to their royal wedding, which led to a breakdown in their relationship with their 78-year-old father.
Meghan locates the moment the “disentanglement” in their relationship took place just days before the couple tied the knot on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.
Speaking to Netflix, the Duchess opened up about how her father, a former lighting director, found himself at the center of a scandal when it was revealed he staged paparazzi photos and sold them for an alleged $100,000.
Prince Harry said he blames himself for Meghan’s split with her father Thomas Markle because “if Meg wasn’t with me, her father would still be her father”.
Meghan said her father (pictured together) declined to stage photos, including one of him reading a history book about Britain, when she offered to arrange his trip to London a day earlier than planned
Meghan said she found out her father hadn’t come to the wedding “through a tabloid” before reading that he was in the hospital after suffering a heart attack. She said she tried to call him repeatedly, but he didn’t accept or respond to her messages
Shortly after, Mr Markle suffered a heart attack and said he was unable to attend just days before his daughter’s wedding.
The segment began with Meghan telling Netflix that a week before the wedding, she received a message from Jason Knauf, her former communications secretary, to say that a story will be coming out tomorrow that your father is staging pictures and taking money from has the press.’
The pictures showed Mr Markle being fitted for a suit, exercising in a public park and one of him reading a history book about Britain from his hometown of Rosarito, Mexico.
Meghan said to the camera: “That was the first time I heard about it. jason [Knauf] said you need to call him and find out if this is true or not because it could be really harmful.
Meghan localized the moment the “unraveling” in their relationship took place just days before the couple tied the knot on May 19, 2018 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle
Meghan told the Netflix show that she begged her father to pick up the phone when it was reported he had suffered a heart attack and texted her that he was in hospital
Recounting events, she said: “H and I called my father. I said, “Look, they say you take money from the tabloids to stage photos, is that true?”
“He says ‘no,’ and on that call I said, ‘Look, this story, if they can’t stop it and it’s going to come out tomorrow, why don’t we send someone over to your house to get you out of there now ? Because if that’s the case, your house is going to be inundated with media… get yourself out of Mexico” and he said, ‘No, I have things I have to do,’ and it felt really low key.
She continued, “I thought it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t make sense.
“And when we hung up, I looked at H and said, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t believe him.’
The couple revealed some of the messages between Meghan and Thomas Markle in the days leading up to their wedding to Prince Harry
The Duchess of Sussex said he was “followed by dads, media and journalists” in the week leading up to the wedding [Mr Markle] all day every day.’
But for Meghan, the “unraveling” happened when she claimed her father wouldn’t take her call and “spoke to TMZ,” who reported that he had suffered a heart attack and would no longer be able to attend the wedding.
Meghan told the cameras: “I find out you’re not coming to our wedding through a tabloid.”
The couple then revealed some of the messages back and forth between Megan’s phone and their dads in the four days leading up to their wedding.
A text message from Mr Markle’s phone to his daughter’s phone on May 15 read: “I’m back on the hospital needle angiogram [sic]’
Meghan said she begged her father Thomas Markle to tell her “what’s going on” when it was revealed he had suffered a heart attack and texted her to say he was in hospital
Meghan is heard saying: “And then all of a sudden he said he was in the hospital. What’s happening?
“Please just pick up the phone, we’re not mad. Please just pick up the phone’.
A reply from Meghan’s phone then pops up on the screen, saying: “I’ve been reaching out to you all weekend but you’re not taking our calls or replying to any texts…Need any help?” … What hospital are you in?’
Reflecting on the news, the Duchess of Sussex tells Netflix that she’s “called, called, called and called and the world is watching as this drama unfolds.”
Meanwhile, images of newspaper front pages from that period appear on the screen.
Meghan said the messages her father sent her two days before her wedding to Prince Harry led her to believe his phone had been “compromised” due to the language used in the text
She continued: “Even when it was in the media I just kept calling.
“We need to know what’s going on, I don’t understand, what’s going on? are you ok What hospital are you in? We were all just trying to understand what’s going on.’
Then more messages appeared from Meghan’s phone with one saying: “Please call us as soon as possible… all of this is incredibly concerning but your health is the most important thing.”
Another said: “Please send hospital details asap so we know where you are.”
On May 17, 2018, two days before the wedding, Meghan texted her father, saying, “Please, may I ask you to stop speaking to the press… You haven’t answered any of our 20+ calls since we all did.” spoke on Saturday morning; which only adds to the pain you caused. We’re not angry, but we really need to talk to you. Dear M and H’.
The Duchess of Sussex said it was “really odd” that her father called her “Meghan” instead of “Meg”, leading her to believe his phone had been “compromised”.
Meghan said, “And then someone texted back on his phone,” as a response from her father appears on screen, with somber music playing in the background.
It read: “I did nothing to hurt you, Meghan or anyone else. I don’t know anything about 20 phone calls. I’m sorry my heart attack is causing you any inconvenience [sic]’.
Meghan is then heard saying, “It was really weird. You know how people spell correctly?
“My dad used a lot of emoji and a lot of ellipses and dot-dot-dots, and it was just the opposite.”
She continued: “And it called me Meghan. He has never called me Meghan any day that I have lived on this planet.
“Meg, all my friends call me Meg and my parents call me Meg. I thought that’s not my father. We knew then that his phone had been compromised.”
Then another message appeared from Mr Markle’s phone, reading: “If only I had died you could pretend you were sad [sic]’.
The episode, which depicts the “unraveling” of her relationship with her father, ends with 1993 home footage of Meghan and Mr. Markle
A reply from Meghan’s phone replied: “Tom, this is Harry, please pick up your phone. I need to know this is really you because it doesn’t sound like you at all [sic]’.
Meghan told the camera: “And we said pick up the phone, we need to know it’s you, never spoke to him.”
At the end of the episode, the Duke of Sussex revealed he blamed himself for the “incredibly sad” turn of events.
He said: “Of course it’s incredibly sad what happened.
‘She had a father before, and now she has no father. And I took it upon myself because if Meg wasn’t with me, her father would still be her father.”
The episode then ends with home footage of Meghan and her father in 1993.