In a heartfelt plea tinged with a touch of desperation, Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, has publicly expressed his desire to reconcile with his daughter. Ahead of his 80th birthday, he issued a plea to the Duchess of Sussex to let him see his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet. This fresh effort to reconnect is happening during a period of clear tension between the father and daughter, after the bombshell interview of the Duchess highlighting her strained relationship with her own family.

Meghan Markle’s father ‘wants to hear from daughter’

“I’ve never been one for birthdays, but I know the one personI most want to hear from, Meghan, won’t be in touch,” Thomas spoke to Daily Mail expressing his desire to hear from his daughter. Meghan’s biological father was not there to walk her down the aisle in 2018 despite initially being invited to the royal wedding. A couple of days prior to the ceremony, he faced health issues and eventually confessed to working with a photographer to take photos for a staged paparazzi session. Consequently, he chose not to attend the wedding, stating that he ‘didn’t want to cause any embarrassment to the royal family’.

Thomas Markle issues a plea to meet grandkids

“I would love to meet my grandchildren, but I would be happy with a photograph at this stage,” Thomas added. The 80-year-old has yet to meet his grandkids Archie and Lilbet. He shared satisfaction with what he has accomplished in his life but also recognized that these accomplishments have been somewhat eclipsed by recent happenings over the past six years. Thomas admitted, “I “never expected to make it to 80,” referring to his own father who died at the age of 61.

Going further he added being aware that he won’t meet Harry nor he would hear from him and said, “I wish we could have worked this situation out. I was always ready and willing to do that.”

Why is the relationship between Meghan and her father strained?

The last time Meghan spoke to her father was reportedly before her wedding when he was lying in a hospital bed just days before the royal marriage. Their communication eventually ceased after Thomas was caught in a paparazzi controversy. Her mother was the sole attendee from her side at the wedding. Meghan later discussed her relationship with her father in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, revealing that she still grieves.

“I mean, I’ve lost my father. I lost a baby. I nearly lost my name. I mean, there’s the loss of identity. But I’m still standing, and my hope for people in the takeaway from this is to know that there’s another side,” she said at the time.