The Truth About Prince Harry's Relationship With Thomas Markle

It's no secret many families have drama. Unfortunately, when you're Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, your family drama is broadcast to the entire world. This became especially evident when text messages between Harry and Meghan's father, Thomas Markle, were released on April 20, 2020, amid the couple's lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the Mail on Sunday, for "alleged invasion of privacy and copyright infringement," per CNN. The duo decided to take action after the newspaper "published excerpts of a handwritten letter from Meghan to her father, sent shortly after she and Prince Harry got married," the outlet noted.

In the letter, Meghan expressed sorrow that her dad was supposedly ignoring her, while Thomas refuted these claims in his Mail on Sunday interview, claiming he had reached out to his daughter "multiple times."

Now the parents have submitted documents to the UK's high court, including transcripts of messages which reveal Prince Harry begged Thomas to get in touch with them amid the wedding drama. Not only do the texts seemingly prove the royal has been a major advocate for his wife from the very start, but it also sheds light on his relationship with Thomas.

In recently released court documents, texts from Prince Harry to Thomas Markle show that Harry was dedicated and committed to speaking up for his wife, Meghan Markle. It all started when Harry initially reached out to Thomas regarding whether he'd be attending their wedding at St George's Chapel on May 19, 2018. Thomas, who lives in Mexico, was expected to walk his daughter down the aisle but right before the wedding, it was discovered that he allegedly helped stage paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the big day, per the Daily Mail. Thomas made the decision to drop out of the wedding as a result of the faux pas, telling TMZ he didn't want to "embarrass" the couple further. 

So amid this drama, on May 14, 2018, Harry texted Thomas to give him a well-meaning warning. "Tom, Harry again!" the royal wrote, per court docs. "Really need to speak to u. U do not need to apologize, we understand the circumstances but 'going public' will only make the situation worse."

Harry continued: "If u love Meg and want to make it right please call me as there are two other options which don't involve u having to speak to the media, who incidentally created this whole situation. So please call me so I can explain. Meg and I are not angry, we just need to speak to u. Thanks."

Thomas Markle told the Mail on Sunday that after the paparazzi debacle and changing his decision to not attend the wedding, he texted Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to drop out of the nuptials again due to necessary heart surgery. He alleges this disproves Meghan's claims in the published that he ignored her, explaining, "There were no missed messages." The supposed text, as outlined by the Mail on Sunday, reads, "Surgery went OK... The doctor will not allow me to fly so, of course, I'm sorry but I can't come. Love you and wish you the best of everything.'

However, texts from Harry and Meghan paint a different picture. "Oh any speaking to the press WILL backfire, trust me Tom," Harry continued to advise Thomas via text message (via ITV News). "Only we can help u, as we have been trying from day 1."

Meghan also expressed worry about her dad's health, writing in a text, "Very concerned about your health and safety and have taken every measure to protect you but not sure what more we can do if you don't respond ... Do you need help? Can we send the security team down again? I'm very sorry to hear you're in the hospital but need you to please get in touch with us ... "

Once upon a time, Thomas Markle had nothing but kind things to say about Prince Harry. Meghan Markle's dad expressed goodwill toward the royal in a June 2018 interview with U.K.'s Good Morning Britain, revealing that, before the drama, they "had interesting conversations on the phone." Thomas added, "He's a smart guy."

As for their first conversation? Thomas revealed it was "mostly about politics," which kicked off after the cinematographer expressed feeling "unhappy" about President Donald Trump. 

Then Prince Harry supposedly asked Thomas for permission to marry Meghan, as he explained, "Harry asked for her hand over the phone and I said, 'You're a gentleman, promise me you'll never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission.'"

Thomas' final take on Harry at the time? "Very nice man," he said. "Gentleman. Very likable."

Unfortunately, the former Los Angeles resident has since said negative things about the royal family (he also told Harry to "man up" in a January 2020 interview), and he might testify against Meghan in court.

Of course, we hope everything works out for Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, and Thomas Markle going forward.