The Sad, Bizarre History Of Meghan Markle’s Strained Relationship With Her Father

Anyone who follows the royal family knows that Meghan Markle and her father aren't exactly on good terms — but their fall out dates back farther than you think.

Yes, we all heard about how Thomas Markle didn't give his daughter away to Prince Harry in May due to health issues. He later said he didn't attend the royal wedding to prevent embarrassing Meghan any more than he had after he was caught staging paparazzi photos.

“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” she said at the time, in a statement released by Kensington Palace. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health. I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”

Instead, Prince Harry's father, Prince Charles, walked Meghan down the aisle.

But this wasn't the first time Meghan got married sans her father. In 2011, when she tied the knot with producer Trevor Engelson, her dad was not among the 100 guests who witnessed the beach ceremony in Jamaica.

Meghan and Engelson divorced in 2013, citing "irreconcilable differences." Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, attended both of her daughter's weddings.

It has been a few years and they still have not reconciled. Let's take a look at the timeline of Meghan Markle's relationship with her father, Thomas Markle.

The negativity between Meghan Markle and her father, Thomas Markle, has existed since she was a child.

Meghan's father didn't attend either of her weddings, and a source believes it may be because of the beef between the two that may have begun seven years ago.

"Behavior like his doesn't happen overnight. Why do you think her parents got divorced in the first place?" a friend explained.

Meghan's relationship with her father has been rocky for years as a result of his narcissism, the source added. "Meghan's had to deal with a lot of self-esteem issues growing up with a narcissist," the source said. "She has tools to cope with emotional blackmail. She does pray for him."

The insider added that Meghan no longer gets sucked into her father's emotional traps: "That's Meghan. She does not have a bad bone in her body, but she's not falling for her dad's crocodile tears. She's been down that road far too many times before."

Meghan has not spoken to her father since her wedding day in May 2018, and remains upset with him after he did a series of paid interviews with British tabloids and staged paparazzi photos.

"She has not spoken to her father in more than 10 weeks since her wedding and is still hurt by her father, who has both staged the photos and continues to give paid interviews," the source said at the time. "The Palace is at a loss of what to do and is re-evaluating options, including a more aggressive strategy to stem the embarrassment caused by Meghan's dad, half-sister, and half-brother."

After the royal wedding, Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle's relationship was even more strained.

Despite dealing with the stressful relationship with her dad, Meghan settled into her role as the Duchess of Sussex with Prince Harry. She focused on bonding with the royal family.

A source at the time revealed, "Meghan's looking forward to spending time in the Scottish Highlands. [Prince] William, Kate [Middleton], and the kids [Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis] are also due to visit the Queen for their annual visit to her summer home. The vacation is filled with barbecues, hiking, and shooting, although it is unclear if Meghan will learn the sport that Kate has picked up from various visits."

The source added that at the time when she was a newlywed, she had great support system and was staying busy.

“It’s been great for Meghan when she’s been under so much stress because of her father and sister’s public attacks, to be able to have Harry get to know and double date with her friends and spends time with Harry’s married friends also,” the source revealed. “Meghan is really looking forward to a busy fall and throwing herself into her royal life and work ahead. She’s always been devoted to her humanitarian work and is looking forward to making an impact with Harry.”

Harry and Meghan eventually left the Royal family.

In January 2020, both Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave a statement that they were stepping down from the royal family as a working royal. They came to an agreement with Queen Elizabeth that went into effect on April 1, 2020.

The agreement came with a lot of stipulations:

They had to pay back the 3 million dollars used to refurbish their royal residence at Frogmore Cottage that was gifted to them by the Queen in 2019.
The Queen does not pay for their staff anymore as their staff was reassigned in the castle.
The United States refused to provide the non-royals with security as they made their transition.
Meghan will never be able to borrow the Crown jewels, nor will she wear a tiara.
Their children will not be considered to be royal babies, nor will they be given any royal memorabilia at their birth.
They will not be allowed to go around the world on the behalf of the Queen.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's social media pages were removed from the Royals' website.

After officially stepping down as working members of the royal family, all their social media accounts were removed from the royal.uk website in an update, which is the family's official website.

Harry and Meghan shared the Kensington royal account with Prince William and Kate. But they launched their own Instagram page in April 2019. Now, even though their accounts still exist, they are inactive.

As the media destroyed Markle and her father's relationship, they have tried to keep more to themselves. Now, you can only find these social media pages: TheRoyalFamily which follows Queen Elizabeth and other royals, ClarenceHouse, which is for Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and KensingtonRoyal, which follows Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, and Prince William.

What is Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's life like since they have stepped down as royals?

The couple seems to be living a happy life in Los Angeles. They have been reported to be staying at Tyler Perry's mansion in the Beverly Ridge Estates.

Since their move, the couple has moved out of the direct royal spotlight and are taking a more subtle approach to being in the public eye. A few times, Markle has popped up in the media because of her father, but she isn't letting it slow her down.

Markle appeared on a video call with a Smart Works client to give makeup advice on how to look natural.

The first charity engagement they did together after leaving the royal family was visiting a gang rehabilitation and re-entry program at Homeboy Industries. The couple helped workers prepare meals for the elderly and youth, who were suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spoke up for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Recently, the Black Lives Matter movement has been prevalent in the news because of the wrongful death of George Floyd. The couple has taken many video calls and has personally dedicated their time to helping the BLM movement.

During a conversation with the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, the couple spoke out about the unconscious bias that is so prevalent in society.

Markle said, "We're going to have to be a little uncomfortable right now because it's only in pushing through that discomfort that we get to the other side of this and find the place where a high tide raises all ships."

Meghan has moved on to bigger and better things, even though she has not reconciled with her father yet.

Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.

Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in November 2018 and was updated with the latest information.