Meghan Markle Reportedly Dealt With 'Dad Disappointment' Most of Her Adult Life

Meghan Markle is reportedly not surprised by her father Thomas Markle's steady stream of daughter-bashing in the press because she has been dealing with "dad disappointment" her entire life. The only difference this time is that she is a royal duchess.

"His behavior is something she has had to deal with for most of her adult life," sources close to Markle told The Sun this week. "There has been a long history of 'dad disappointment' with her life being splattered with upset because of her relationship with him."

They continued, "She isn't shocked or surprised by his behavior and dealt with it all with a lot of grace."

In his latest interview with The Sun, Thomas compared the Royal Family to Scientologists because "they are secretive."

"If they hear anybody say anything they just lock the doors. They need to speak up! They are cult-like — like Scientology — because they are secretive," Thomas, 73, said. "They close the door, pull the shades down and put their fingers in their ears so they don't have to hear. "Maybe they have a secret handshake too! You cannot ask a question of them — as they won't answer."

In that same interview, he denied claims he is "bitter" because his children have not paid for his retirement in exchange for his past financial support.

"I worked hard to provide for my children. I'm their father, I don't expect them to pay me back," Thomas told The Sun.

Thomas has claimed he has been cut off from his daughter for the past three months, after he appeared in staged paparazzi photos and did not go to Markle's May 19 wedding to Prince Harry. The Duchess of Sussex reportedly does want to meet with him, but she has some conditions.

"The only reason Meghan hasn't spoken to her father yet is because she's yet to hear from him in a respectful manner," a source told The Mirror. "Thomas is speaking to the press more than he's reached out and spoken to his own daughter."

The source said Thomas could reach out to Markle through her mother, Doria Ragland, who has plans to move to London to be closer to Markle.

A source told Entertainment Tonight that Markle is "hurt" by her father's frequent interviews, since she does still love him.

"She has gone through periods of difficulty with her father in the past, but she does love him. That's what's been so difficult about this," the source said.

Kensington Palace has not commented on Thomas since before the wedding, when they confirmed he would not be attending. The Royal Family has reportedly considered taking a "more aggressive" approach to dealing with Thomas, but it is not clear what that will be.

"The Palace, who normally takes a firm policy of not commenting on personal matters, is now considering a more aggressive strategy to deal with the situation with both her father and her sister," a source told ET. "No one wants to see this continue."

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