The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father Thomas Markle has said he won’t allow her to “bury” him as Prince Harry claimed she “mourned” his loss.
Mr Markle, 78, and his two other children, Meghan’s half-sister Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr., joined forces to take part in a television documentary revealing the extent of the rift between the two sides of the family.
Mr Markle, who suffered a debilitating stroke last May, said his daughter had not called him in four years.
“If she doesn’t show up for a stroke, if that doesn’t move her, what will?” he said.
In his memoir, Spare, the Duke of Sussex said Meghan “mourned the loss of her father”.
But Mr Markle told Australia’s Channel 7 Spotlight programme: “She killed me and then mourned me.”
He added, “I refuse to be buried by her.”
‘I was her hero’
The family has released several videos of Meghan, 41, from her childhood, in which she alternates swinging a baseball bat, jumping in the snow and fishing at a lake.
Mr Markle admitted that he occasionally watched the videos.
“She loved me, I was her hero and suddenly I was kicked out,” he added.
“She has to ask herself every day ‘why am I doing this to my father?’
“Is it worth dumping me for the rest of my life? Is it worth denying me my grandchildren? Is it all worth it! Is it worth getting rid of her father?
The former lighting director said he hoped the Duke, who had suffered a loss following the death of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, understood the importance of staying connected.
He said he regretted posing for paparazzi photos for the Duke and Duchess’ wedding and leaked part of a letter Meghan sent him to a newspaper.
He did this after five of Meghan’s friends spoke to People magazine and provided the first public reference to the letter.
Meghan sued Associated Newspapers for publishing five articles that reproduced excerpts from the handwritten message.
Markle, in an attempt to explain his actions, said: “People magazine came out with it and Meghan had shared it with six other people.”
He added of his estrangement from his daughter: “It’s just really sad from a father’s perspective. It is a huge disappointment and it is sad every day.”
He said he would “love” to meet his grandchildren, Prince Archie, three, and Princess Lilibet, one, adding: “They’ll have my nose, they’ll have my eyes.”
