Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made headlines when they announced their engagement in 2017, but somewhere along the line, Meghan’s family troubles took part of the spotlight away from her wedding planning. Meghan hasn’t spoken to her father, Thomas Markle, very much since before she wed Harry; things between Meghan and her dad went downhill shortly after she rose to fame as the prince’s fiancé.

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Now, Thomas has revealed that Meghan asked him to stop talking to his other children, though it’s unclear why.

Meghan Markle with her mother, Doria Ragland | Steve Parsons/Pool/Getty Images

Thomas Markle says Meghan Markle once asked him to stop speaking to his other kids

When Meghan and Harry started dating, the media were quick to dive into Meghan’s personal life. They learned that she had a distant relationship to her two half siblings, Thomas and Samanta Markle, and that her parents, Thomas and Doria Ragland, had divorced when Meghan was young.

Shortly before Meghan and Harry were supposed to wed, a personal letter Meghan had written to her father was published by a tabloid, and it outed that Meghan and her dad were having problems. Thomas had allegedly staged paparazzi shots and was trying to capitalize on his daughter’s fame, which drove a wedge through the father-daughter relationship.

Now, things between Thomas and Meghan have not improved, and Thomas recently spoke once more about his daughter. “Meghan once told me she wanted me to stop talking to Tom Jr and Samantha, my children from my first marriage,” Thomas told Mail on Sunday. “But what parent could ever agree to that?”

Thomas Markle said he ‘will always love’ his daughter Meghan Markle

Thomas and Meghan might not be on speaking terms, but the duchess’ father says that he will always have love for his daughter. “There were good times. She was a good girl,” he said. “I don’t like some of the things my daughter has done but I will always love her. My door is always open to her. I love her and that will never change. I love all my children.”

Thomas and Meghan reportedly have not spoken in years, and he has never met Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, his grandchildren. Thomas also sympathized with King Charles, who reportedly does not have a close relationship with the grandkids, either. “I’m a grandfather, and he is King of England — but he, too, is a grandfather who would like to see his grandkids.”