Royals urged Meghan to reconcile with her father before the wedding
The late Queen and King Charles once stepped in to try to resolve Meghan Markle’s long-running feud with her father, Thomas Markle. According to royal biographer Tom Bower, both urged Meghan to visit her father in Mexico in the hope of ending his public criticism of the Royal Family.
The efforts are described in Bower’s 2022 book Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors. He writes that the Queen and Charles became increasingly frustrated with Thomas’s frequent interviews and comments in the press.
The rift began in the run-up to Meghan’s wedding, when Thomas was caught staging paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the ceremony. At first, he said he would attend, but he later pulled out. In his memoir, Harry recalled that his father-in-law had texted him shortly before the event, saying: “I am so ashamed.”
Despite attempts at contact, Meghan remained estranged from her father. Bower notes that even Charles lost patience, reportedly asking: “Can’t she just go and see him and make this stop?”
The Queen shared that frustration. At one point, she and Charles joined Meghan and Harry on a conference call, urging Meghan to fly to America and reconcile with her father. But Meghan refused, insisting the relationship had broken down beyond repair.
