HEARTBROKEN Thomas Markle says daughter Meghan spurned him in a controversial letter which “signalled the end of our relationship”.
She is said to have written the “painful” note, at the centre of a High Court battle, to her dad after they reached “breaking point”.
But in a witness statement, Thomas, 76, says: “The letter didn’t say she loved me. It showed no concern about the fact I had suffered a heart attack.”
Meghan, 39, is suing over the publication of letter extracts.
The interview with five of the Duchess of Sussex’s “best friends” said “heartbroken” Meghan had written “I love you” and begged for him to stop “victimising” her in the Press.
But her furious father states: “When I read the article ‘The Truth About Meghan’ in People magazine I was shocked by what it said about me. It was a total lie.
“It misrepresented the tone and content of the letter Meg had written me in August 2018. I quickly decided I wanted to correct that misrepresentation.”
As a result, Thomas, 76, passed the letter to the Mail on Sunday.
He says: “It seemed to me that the article had either been expressly authorised by Meg or she had at the very least known about and approved of its publication.
“I believed (and still believe) that Meghan wanted her account of the letter to be published.”
Meghan, 39, is now suing in the High Court for breaches of privacy, data protection and copyright after extracts were published in 2019.
Her lawyer Justin Rushbrooke, QC, today described the 1,250-word letter as “a heartfelt plea from an anguished daughter to her father”.
But in his statement released by the High Court, Thomas, of Rosario, California, states: “The letter was not an attempt at a reconciliation. It was a criticism of me.”
He has not spoken to Meghan since before she got married to Prince Harry in May 2018.
She posted the letter by FedEx three months after Thomas suffered a heart attack that left him unable to make the Windsor wedding.
Thomas says: “The letter didn’t say she loved me. It did not even ask how I was.
“It showed no concern about the fact I had suffered a heart attack and asked no questions about my health.
“It actually signalled the end of our relationship, not a reconciliation.”
Thomas’ signed 1,300-word witness statement, dated March 2020, says the suggestion that Meghan had “reached out” to repair their relationship was “false”.
Her lawyers deny she had any knowledge her friends were speaking to People.
But they admit she spoke to two pals about the contents of the letter, who then spoke to the mag without her permission.
Thomas’ statement says: “It seemed to me she must have used these friends to pass information to the Press, information that she wanted published, including information about the letter she had obviously told them she had written.”
Thomas adds: “The article also referred to my letter back to Meg which only she would have known about.”
The retired Emmy Award-winning lighting engineer claims the magazine “misrepresented” his written reply to the letter asking for a photo opportunity for the media.
He adds: “I had suggested a photo of Meg and me together, as I thought a photo showing we were in a harmonious relationship would make the Press back off.”
Thomas also says the interviews with Meg’s “inner circle” of friends was wrong for suggesting that he and his daughter Samantha had spoken “mistruths”.
He states: “It was wrong for People magazine to say I had lied about Meg shutting me out — she had shut me out, as the letter from her showed.”
Thomas says claims in the article that he was at fault for them not speaking were “false”.
And he writes: “I had repeatedly tried to reach her after the wedding but I couldn’t find a way of getting her to talk to me.”
In his statement, Thomas says the story was “wrong and unfair” when it claimed Meghan had been financially supporting her father.
He insists: “Until I read the article in People magazine I had never intended to talk publicly about Meg’s letter to me.”
After reading the story he refused all interview requests and instead sought out a Mail on Sunday journalist, he claims.
He never received any payment for the story, his statement says. He adds: “It was important to me in setting the record straight.”
Revealing his reason for sharing extracts, he says: “Readers had to see the letter for themselves — then they would know they were getting the truth.”
Meghan’s lawyers argue that the publication of an “intrinsically private, personal and sensitive” letter was a “plain and serious invasion” of her privacy.
Thomas has pledged to be a witness at any trial — currently set for October.
Meghan could also be asked to give evidence alongside Royal Household staff who worked beside her and Harry before Megxit.
A two-day remote hearing in front of Justice Warby began yesterday.
The case continues.
