Meghan Markle
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle's estranged father Thomas on Monday pleaded with his daughter to stop "ghosting" him and get in touch with him over Christmas.
Thomas, who has not spoken to the new member of the British royal family since she got married to Prince Harry in a grand ceremony at Windsor Castle in May this year, said he had been texting his daughter every day and writing letters to her but she has been "ghosting" him – a term used when someone ends all communication with another person.
"I'm not sure why it's happening. I have been trying to reach out for several weeks, every day I try to text her, but haven't received anything back," the 74-year-old retired Hollywood lighting director told ITV's "Good Morning Britain" in an interview from his home in San Diego in the US.
"I love you very much, you're my daughter and I would really like to hear from you. Whatever differences we have, we should be able to work them out," he said, making a direct plea.
Thomas dismissed accusations that the 37-year-old former actress was "rude" in reference to media reports of a feud between her and sister-in-law Kate Middleton, but admitted that she could be a controlling person.
"I don't believe them (the reports) I think they're gossip – Meghan has never been rude to anyone; she learned to respect everyone. She's always been a very controlling person and that's part of her nature but she's never been rude," he said.
"The ghosting, I don't completely understand – she's always been in charge, that's her nature, but not been rude," he added, during the first interview since the news of his daughter’s pregnancy broke in October.
Thomas, who has never met his son-in-law, said he remained "hopeful" he would be able to meet his future grandchild, who is due next spring.
Thomas said his daughter would make a great mother and is just desperate to reconnect because there has to be a place for him as her father and "grandfather of her children".
He even made an indirect request to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Harry's grandmother, to step in, saying: "I would appreciate anything she (Queen) can do and I would think that she would want to resolve the family problems.
"All families, royal or otherwise, are the same and should be together at the (Christmas) holidays."
The former husband of Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, did not attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry as he was recovering from heart surgery.
He had become the subject of controversy after it was revealed that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi in return for money a few days prior to the wedding.
During the interview, Thomas said he had "apologised 100 times for that".
"That's not worthy of being shunned or ghosted – that's ridiculous," he said.
Thomas, who ITV said had not been paid for the interview, suggested the royal couple may have been influenced by press reports about him.
He said: "The unfortunate thing about my daughter and Harry is that they believe everything they read in the papers.
"For the first year, they were telling me never believe those things but now they're believing it and thinking I'm saying a lot of things that I'm not saying."
Kensington Palace, the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's office as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, did not comment on the interview.
