Instead of celebrating the birth of his granddaughter, Thomas Markle is taking another hit at Meghan Markle, claiming the Duchess of Sussex did not tell him about Lilibet Diana‘s birth on June 4. In an interview with Australia’s 60 Minutes this weekend, Markle claimed he heard about Lilibet’s birth at the same time as everyone else. Markle, 76, also accused Oprah Winfrey of “playing” Meghan and Prince Harry.
“I’m not a tearful type… but I’m certainly hurt by a lot of it,” Thomas said in the interview that aired Sunday, reports Us Weekly. “There’s a good chance I might never see my grandchildren.” Markle went on to claim that he received no phone calls, and only heard about Lilibet’s birth on the radio. “I haven’t spoken to [Meghan] since two days before they got married,” he said.
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Markle is also not happy about Meghan and Harry’s association with Winfrey. He accused her of “playing” the royal couple and using them to build her brand. “I think she’s using them to build her network and her new shows, and I think she’s taking advantage of a very weakened man and getting him to say things that you just shouldn’t be saying on television,” he said. Markle admitted to only having seen “some” of The Me You Can’t See, the Apple TV+ series featuring Winfrey and Harry, but he still believes it is a “set-up.”
“I think she’s patting herself on the back and making a lot of money on this,” Markle explained. “I’m sure she gives Harry money and Meghan money, but I don’t think it compensates for what they’re doing.” Markle said he is now going to wait for Meghan to reach out to him after he never got through earlier in her marriage to Harry. He also confirmed reports he left a letter with his number and email at Winfrey’s door in Southern California.
Although Markle claims he is not “attacking” Winfrey, he believes Harry is being pushed to say things “he’ll never be able to take back,” which Markle called a “horrible thing.” Still, he wished Harry, Markle, and their children “all the love and best wishes in the world.”
Markle and Meghan have been estranged since he staged paparazzi photos before her marriage to Harry in May 2018. He was also unable to attend the wedding after suffering a heart attack. Since Meghan and Harry tied the knot, Markle has frequently given interviews critical of the royal family and his daughter. In a Channel 5 documentary last year, he said he “should be rewarded for” what he has gone through and the royal family “owes” him. There were also reports in 2018 that Meghan did not tell Markle she was pregnant with Archie and he found out when she made a public announcement.
