Today in secondhand embarrassment, Meghan Markle's estranged father, Thomas Markle, has done another interview—which he claims will be his last.
In a new interview with the Daily Mail, Thomas, 74, has decided to address those staged paparazzi photos and the resulting fallout his faced with the royal family. In case you need a refresher, back in April, ahead of the royal wedding, paparazzi photos leaked that appeared to show Thomas preparing for his daughter's wedding. In one shot, he studies up on Britain in a coffee shop, in another he appears to be fitted for a suit for the big day. The photos turned out to be staged and Thomas ended up skipping the royal wedding, officially for health reasons.
Up top, Thomas explains that Prince Harry, whom he hasn't met, but has had a series of "warm and chatty" phone conversations with, warned him early on about talking to the press.
"Harry told me that I should never go to the press," Thomas said. "That it would end in tears. He said, 'They will eat you alive.' He was right."
Here's where things get typical Thomas Markle levels of ugh though. Thomas says that when he was in the hospital for the heart attack that kept him from Meghan's wedding (which he insists was real, in spite of claims to the contrary), Harry called him, very upset about the photo scandal.
During the call, Thomas says Harry asked him about the photos, specifically the one that appeared to show him being fitted for a suit. Thomas says he lied to Harry and said he was being "measured for a hoodie" — you know, like you do for all your...formal hoodies?
Harry did not seem to buy the hoodie excuse, presumably because he's a human who knows what a hoodie is, and told Thomas, "If you had listened to me this would never have happened."
At this point, Thomas says he lashed out and then hung up on his now son-in-law.
"Maybe it would be better for you guys if I was dead… then you could pretend to be sad," Thomas says he said to Harry. "Then I hung up."
In retrospect, at least, Thomas says he realizes that Harry was "absolutely right" and that collaborating with the paparazzi on staged photos was not a great idea.
"I’m not mad at Harry. I’m not mad at Meghan," he said. "I love them. I wish them well. But as for the rest of it, f*ck it. I’m done."
Promise?