Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Meghan Markle's Letter to Her Dad, Thomas Markle, After the Royal Wedding Is Heart-Wrenching

    Meghan Markle's dad, Thomas Markle, skipped her royal wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly wrote her dad a letter after the disappointing series of events.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 9 February 2019 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Photograph, Ceremony, Marriage, Bride, Wedding, Veil, Wedding dress, Event, Bridal clothing, Tradition,
    (Image credit: WPA Pool)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    The drama factory that is Meghan Markle's family is still in high-production. The latest development in the Markle family soap opera involves a letter that the Duchess of Sussex reportedly wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, after he skipped her wedding following his debut royal scandal.

    According to a new report from People, based on interviews with several of Meghan's close friends (all of whom go unnamed in the story), there's a lot to the Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle drama that the public hasn't been privy to. For example, according to the People sources, Thomas Markle's repeated claims that he has no way to contact Meghan are totally false. The outlet cited a "longtime friend" of the Duchess as saying: 

    What's more, the sources claim that not only did Meghan still want—and expect—her dad to be a part of the wedding after the scandal of his staged paparazzi photos broke, but they claim that Thomas Markle was actually the one who cut off contact:

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Oh, and apparently, Thomas didn't give Meghan a personal heads-up about the story leaked to the press that he was going to miss her wedding because of a heart attack and she, understandably, freaked out:

    Meghan's father-in-law, Prince Charles, famously ended up stepping in to walk her down the aisle when Thomas flaked on the big day.

    You may like
    • Princess Diana sitting in a carriage with Prince Charles Diana Said Her Wedding to Charles Was One Family Member's "Proudest Day"
    • Prince Harry in a dark suit and tie The King and Prince Harry's "Gulf" Is "Deeper Than Ever," Says Butler
    • Meghan Markle in a black suit Prince Harry Reveals the Two Things Meghan Markle Prayed to Princess Diana For During Emotional Gravesite Visit

    Prince Harry Marries Ms. Meghan Markle - Windsor Castle

    'Meghan’s now-father-in-law, Prince Charles, walked her down the aisle when Thomas Markle skipped the wedding. '

    (Image credit: WPA Pool)

    The truly heartbreaking reveal is about Meghan's post-wedding response to the whole situation. People's sources claim Meghan wrote her father a letter after the royal wedding, basically pleading with him to make things right and he replied with a typical Thomas Markle, fame-grabbing suggestion of his own:

    "After the wedding she wrote him a letter. She’s like, ‘Dad, I’m so heartbroken. I love you. I have one father. Please stop victimizing me through the media so we can repair our relationship.’ Because every time her team has to come to her and fact-check something [he has said], it’s an arrow to the heart. He writes her a really long letter in return, and he closes it by requesting a photo op with her. And she feels like, ‘That’s the opposite of what I’m saying. I’m telling you I don’t want to communicate through the media, and you’re asking me to communicate through the media. Did you hear anything I said?’ It’s almost like they’re ships passing."

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Again, since the sources cited in People's report are anonymous, it's impossible to know if they're really all that close to Meghan and what, if anything, she might have known about the interviews before the story ran. Kensington and Buckingham Palace press officials were reportedly completely in the dark about the story until "minutes" before it ran, meaning these "friends" didn't have the royal family's official okay to share the stories.

    RELATED STORIES

    Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Attend Anzac Day Services

    (Image credit: Samir Hussein)

    The Royal Family Is in Crisis About Thomas Markle

    Prince Harry

    (Image credit: Henry Browne)

    Thomas Markle Says He Lied to and Hung Up on Harry

    Explore More
    Meghan Markle Thomas Markle Prince Harry
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Queen Camilla turned to the side wearing a green dress
    Royals Queen Camilla's Friend Shares Her Philosophy on Prince Harry Relationship
    By Kristin Contino
    Meghan Markle holding Prince Harry's arm wearing LA Dodgers hats
    Royals Meghan Markle “Is Taking One for the Team” For Prince Harry By Moving to Britain
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle holding hands walking
    Royals 7 Reasons Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are Moving to the U.K.
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wearing sunglasses walking outside
    Royals There's a "Significant" Reason Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving to the U.K.
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
     
     
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
    Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles at Victoria Station, London, where they will welcome a state delegation from Nigeria, March 1989.
    Royals Why Queen Elizabeth "Was Furious" With Princess Diana
     
     
    Latest in News
    collage of celebrities wearing the red-and-purple color combination trend for The A-List Edit
    Celebrity Style The Shockingly Chic Color Combo That's Taking Over the Runways and My FYP
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Bella Hadid arrived at New York Fashion Week in a patchwork Coach bag and Ugg boots
    Celebrity Style Bella Hadid Returns to NYC With a Coachtopia It Bag and VIP-Beloved Ugg Boots
    Katie Holmes wore a white crewneck sweater, black trousers, and leather loafers at the 2026 US Open
    Celebrity Style Katie Holmes Styles This Editor-Endorsed NYFW Uniform at the 2026 US Open
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.