Prince Harry begged Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas to speak to him just days before their wedding
PRINCE Harry sent text messages begging Meghan Markle’s dad to speak to him days before the royal wedding, court papers revealed yesterday.
In the highly personal exchanges, Harry pleaded with 75-year-old Thomas Markle: “If you love Meg and want to make it right please call me.”
Later, after a series of calls from her went unanswered, the prince texted: “Tom, it’s Harry, please answer your phone.”
Harry also warned contacting the press would “backfire”.
The series of messages from the Duke and Duchess to her estranged father were revealed as part of her court battle with the Mail on Sunday.
They cover dramatic days when Mr Markle pulled out of the wedding after he suffered a heart problem and was caught deliberately staging photographs.
Meghan has not spoken with her dad since these exchanges two years ago, the legal papers reveal.
She is suing Associated Newspapers, which owns the Mail on Sunday, for publishing a letter she later wrote to him.
Her lawyers claim it breached her copyright and privacy but conceded “one of her closest friends” had earlier referred to its contents in a US magazine interview.
The court documents say “he (Mr Markle) and the Claimant (Meghan) exchanged messages about the arrangements for the wedding” in 2018.
But Mr Markle, who lives in Mexico, suffered acute chest pain and was rushed to hospital on May 3.
Two days later, unaware of his condition, Meghan wrote: “I’ve called and texted but haven’t heard back from you so hoping you’re okay.”
A day later it was revealed he had staged paparazzi photos of him preparing for her wedding.
Then on May 14, he sent a text message to his daughter apologising and confirming he would not attend the May 19 Windsor Castle ceremony.
Meg's TV gush
MEGHAN and Harry’s tabloid ban was announced just hours before she appeared on American TV to promote her new film.
Good Morning America ran a pre-recorded interview with Meghan about Disney+ TV documentary Elephant, which she narrates.
On the show, broadcast on Disney-owned station ABC, it was called her “passion project”. She said: “The creatures are so majestic and so sensitive. I think they’re a lot more like us than they are different. I hope when people see this film, they realise how connected we all are.”
In January, Harry lost a complaint case against The Mail On Sunday after it revealed wildlife photos he took showed animals, including elephants, that had been sedated.
Harry and Meghan, now living in LA, made several unanswered calls so Harry used her phone to send a text which read: “Tom, Harry again! 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.
“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.
“Oh any speaking to the press WILL backfire, trust me Tom. Only we can help u, as we have been trying from day 1.”
Later that day, US celebrity news website TMZ revealed Thomas was in hospital after a suspected heart attack.
On May 15, Meghan texted her dad saying: “I’ve been reaching out to you all weekend but you’re not taking any of our calls or replying to any texts. 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.
Oh any speaking to the press WILL backfire, trust me Tom. Only we can help u, as we have been trying from day 1.
Text message from Prince Harry to Thomas Markle
“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. What hospital are you at?”
Ten minutes later, Meghan fired off another message about security for him, adding: “Please please call as soon as you can. All this is incredibly concerning but your health is most important.”
Thomas replied saying he would be in hospital a few days, was OK and refused the offer of security. The documents state: “Mr Markle responded later that evening to say he appreciated the offer but did not feel in danger and would recover at a motel.”
Then on May 16, Meghan received an “unpleasant message” from her father, it is claimed. So she made four unanswered calls within five minutes to him.
Duchess writing is real neat
MEGHAN boasted of her handwriting abilities as part of her legal battle.
Her letter was drafted on a computer before being carefully handwritten by Meghan, the Mail on Sunday said.
She denies it was because she knew it would be published.
Legal papers say: “This was the Claimant’s usual style of handwriting, as she had trained in calligraphy since she was at school and practiced it professionally to support her early acting career.”
Harry, again using Meghan’s phone, texted: “Tom, it’s Harry, please answer your phone, I need to know this is actually you because it doesn’t sound like you at all.”
The documents adds: “The Claimant did not speak to her father before her wedding.”
Meghan, walked down the aisle by Prince Charles, claims she missed a single call from her father at 4.57am on the morning of her wedding.
The messages are revealed in a reply by Meghan’s lawyers to Associated Newspapers. The Mail on Sunday last year published, with Mr Markle’s permission, a letter he received from her. She alleges it was a breach of copyright, data regulation laws and privacy and says it was selectively edited.
The Sun Says
QUITE the contrast, isn’t it?
There’s William and Kate, supporting the NHS, speaking to frontline staff and publicly voicing their fears for the Queen, Prince Charles and the future of our country.
There’s Her Majesty herself, assuring the nation in that historic TV address that better days will return.
There’s her husband Prince Philip, nearly 99 now but interrupting his retirement to hail all those keeping our society afloat, from vaccine researchers to binmen.
There’s Charles, back to work so soon after his coronavirus bout. And Camilla, working from home for the Royal Voluntary Service after self-isolating.
Senior royals, admirably doing their duty in the gravest crisis for 80 years.
And then there’s Harry and Meghan, mansion-shopping in celebrity-packed Tinseltown — as was always their plan despite all the guff about Africa, Canada, the Commonwealth and being driven out of Britain.
A couple blinded by their sense of entitlement, claiming to crave privacy yet desiring above all the gilded lives of their A-list celebrity friends, flying around on private jets and making millions as effortlessly as possible.
They say they believe in a free Press holding power to account. In fact Harry and Meghan want a Press that holds others to account, but simply regurgitates THEIR PR handouts.
When their hypocrisy is exposed by newspapers, they turn on their readers.
So now they have vowed never to speak to the popular Press again.
Perversely, the papers singled out are exactly those most supportive of the monarchy — and whose readers were the couple’s biggest fans before they turned their backs on royal life.
But it will have no real impact on stories being covered in the British media.
It merely disqualifies Harry and Meghan from putting their side to any story, which is the sole reason reporters contact their PR team. How do they imagine that will pan out?
And has there ever been a more craven or ill-timed bid for publicity, with Britain and the world united in a battle against this killer virus?
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Associated Newspapers points out days earlier her friends referred to the letter during interviews they had given to People magazine in the US.
Meghan’s legal team said she was unaware of the interview and was “extremely upset” when she found out.
The case begins at the High Court in London on Friday.
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