Meghan Markle's incredibly close bond with father Thomas before rift erupted
Meghan and Thomas were very close when she was growing up
Meghan Markle once shared a deeply affectionate and tight-knit bond with her father, Thomas Markle.
The former Hollywood lighting director was a constant presence in Meghan’s childhood, shaping not just her early years but her later career in television.
Meghan Markle’s early years with Thomas Markle
The duchess, now 44, is the only child of Thomas Markle and Doria Ragland, who divorced when she was six.
While Meghan lived primarily with her mother in early childhood, she reportedly spent most of her teenage years living with her father.
Thomas worked in Hollywood as a lighting director. He sent Meghan to elite private schools and supported her ambitions.
In her now-defunct blog The Tig, Meghan praised her father for the “blood, sweat and tears” he poured into her future, calling him a man who “came from so little in a small town in Pennsylvania” and yet gave her everything.
“Happy Father’s Day,” she wrote. “To my dad, my thoughtful, inspiring, hard-working Daddy.”
In a 2013 interview with Esquire, she shared that, as a child, she would watch the end credits of every show he worked on just so she could “give the screen a kiss” when she saw his name roll by.
Meghan’s career
In her 2015 Elle essay, Meghan recalled how her father would go out of his way to make her feel seen.
One year, after she had admired a Barbie set called the “Heart Family,” he dismantled and customised the dolls to reflect their real family: a Black mother, a white father, and mixed-race children. “My dad had taken the sets apart and customised my family,” she wrote.
Thomas also introduced Meghan to life behind the camera. After school, she would often spend time on the Married…With Children set. She wasn’t allowed to watch the show at home, but being on set taught her the intricacies of lighting, direction, and production.
“Transpo [the transportation crew]. That’s the world I’m comfortable with,” she told Esquire. “Especially the director of photography. I will always find my light. No question.”
Even after Meghan found fame, Thomas remained a supporter. Following her breakthrough role in Suits, she reportedly gave him $2,000 one Christmas to use for a future holiday.
Meghan’s fallout with her father
But the close bond began to fracture in 2018, just before Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry.
In the weeks leading up to the royal ceremony, it was revealed that Thomas had staged paparazzi photos, including ones of him reading news about the wedding and getting fitted for a suit.
Amid the fallout, Thomas announced he was undergoing heart surgery and did not attend the wedding. Meghan’s mother, Doria, was the only family member present.
Later, a personal letter Meghan wrote to her father was published by The Mail on Sunday without her permission. The letter became the subject of a major legal battle.
Meghan ultimately won her case for breach of privacy. Thomas later told the court the letter had marked “the end of our relationship”.
Since then, Thomas, now 81, has made multiple public appeals to reconcile, including emotional interviews and pleas through the press.
In January 2025, he announced a move to Asia for a “fresh start” but said he still hoped for a reunion.
Thomas Markle has leg amputated
In December 2025, that hope became more urgent. Thomas was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after scans revealed his life was “in imminent danger,” according to his son, Thomas Jr. He was later transferred to a larger hospital and underwent three hours of life-saving surgery, which culminated in his leg being amputated.
At the time of his hospitalisation, Meghan was promoting her With Love, Meghan Christmas special on Netflix.
Thomas Jr publicly called on her to “show the compassion she preaches” and reach out. While a spokesperson for Meghan reportedly claimed she had done so privately, Thomas himself contradicted that, telling The Mail on Sunday he had not heard from her.
“I don’t want to die estranged from Meghan,” he said. “I want to meet my grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband, too.”
In recent reports, a spokesperson for Meghan has claimed that she is in the process of attempting to get in touch with him.
Read more: Meghan Markle’s reaction to being compared to iconic Simpsons character as a child
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