Meghan Markle’s father Thomas reveals sadness at not being invited to Archie’s christening

The father of the Duchess of Sussex has revealed his sadness at not being invited to Archie’s christening.

Thomas Markle, who has had a tumultuous relationship with his daughter Meghan, said he would have liked to have been at the event at Windsor Castle but wished his grandson “health and happiness”.

Doria Ragland, Meghan’s mother and his former wife, was pictured in an official photograph released by the royal couple.

Mr Markle said he has been a member if the Anglican Church - which he called the “Queen’s Church” - since he was a child.

Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle
PA/Reuters

The 74-year-old told the Mail on Sunday: “I have been asked if I would have liked to have gone to Britain to see my new grandson being christened.

“I was an altar boy at age 12, a confirmed member of the Queen's church at age 14, and Archie is my new grandson, so of course I would have enjoyed being there for the blessing, wishing Archie and his parents health and happiness.”

An official christening photograph released by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their son, Archie
Chris Allerton

The former Hollywood lighting director has reportedly not spoken to the Duchess of Sussex since just after the royal wedding last May, which he did not attend due to his health.

In February, friends of the duchess revealed she wrote a letter to her estranged father telling him to stop victimising her so the pair could repair their relationship.

The Duke and Duchess with their son, Archie, in Windsor Castle's Rose Garden
Chris Allerton

Friends said in an interview with People magazine Mr Markle “knows how to get in touch with her” and has his daughter's number but has not tried to mend their rift.

They claimed the duchess wrote to her father after she married Prince Harry to ask him to stop speaking to the media but that he replied asking for a photo opportunity.

Mr Markle has claimed he has made “dozens of attempts” to reach his daughter via texts and letters and even sent a handwritten note to her via Ms Ragland.

First glimpse of Prince Harry and Meghan's newborn son - In pictures

1/21

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in