In an interview with The Sun on Sunday, Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle’s father, says he thinks his daughter is “terrified” to be a royal. According to Newsweek , Mr. Markle feels that his daughters smile is no longer genuine, that it is a “pained smile.”
“My thing about my daughter right now is that I think she is terrified. I see it in her eyes, I see it in her face, and I see it in her smile. I’ve seen her smile for years. I know her smile. I don’t like the one I’m seeing now,” he said.
Though he has not seen or spoken to his daughter since May, when she married Prince Harry, the 73-year-old feels shes dealing with a lot of strain being a part of the royal family. “There’s a high price to pay to be married to that family,” said Mr. Markle.
He says that he’s tried to get in contact with Ms. Markle, who is now the Duchess of Sussex after her marriage to Prince Harry, but that the number he has for her is no longer working. Additionally, Mr. Markle says he does not have an address to send her letters.
“It’s probably the longest time I have gone without speaking to her ever. If I had one message for her, it would be that I’m sorry for anything that went wrong,” he says, possibly referring to the alleged paparazzi photos of him that were sold to various media outlets. He ultimately was unable to attend the wedding due to a heart attack that occurred just before the wedding.
Though Ms. Markle and Prince Harry did not address the paparazzi photos, they did state that her father would not be at the ceremony because he was unable to travel due to the heart attack.
Despite their lack of contact, Entertainment Tonight reports that Ms. Markle and Prince Harry are “frustrated” that he keeps speaking to the press and “taking payment for interviews.” In addition to the interview with The Sun , Mr. Markle also spoke to Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Brittain in June. In the interview, he spoke about conversations with Ms. Markle where she revealed she was dating Prince Harry, learning about the engagement, and the conversation they had after the paparazzi scandal leaked.
When asked about their reaction to the scandal, Mr. Markle said, “They were very forgiving.”
Thus far, neither Ms. Markle nor Prince Harry has publically addressed Mr. Markle’s interview.
