Thomas Markle has complained that she is being “ghosted and shunned” by his daughter Meghan after months of fruitless efforts to make contact with the Duchess of Sussex.
Markle told Good Morning Britain that he has been texting Meghan “every day” without response, adding that the pair have not spoken since her wedding to Prince Harry in May.
The 74-year-old grandfather-to-be said he believed that he had been “ghosted” by his daughter, telling host Piers Morgan: “I’m very disappointed by it – I’m not sure why it’s happening.”
Speaking from San Diego, he appealed for the 37-year-old duchess to contact him during the interview.
“I love you very much, you’re my daughter and I would really like to hear from you,” he said.
“Whatever differences we have, we should be able to work them out.”
It was his first television interview since Meghan’s pregnancy was announced in October, the programme said.
He continued: “This can’t continue forever. I don’t plan to be silent for the rest of my life.
“I love my daughter very much and she has to know that, and I would really appreciate if she would call me, just reach out to me.
“There has to be a place for me. I’m here, she knows it.”
Markle suggested Harry and Meghan may have been influenced by press reports about him, saying: “The funny thing about my daughter and Prince Harry is that they believe everything they read in the paper.
“What’s happened, I’m not sure. I’d love to talk about it. I think it comes back to the fact that reporters pick up on interviews I’ve done and write their own stories and tell lies.”
For the last few weeks, the Duchess of Sussex has been the subject of scathing analyses given by “insiders” who described her as a demanding bridezilla in the run-up to the wedding and a difficult boss who snaps at her staff.
Morgan himself described her as “social climber”, with a tendency to dump people if she had no use for them, during an appearance on The Late Late Show with Ryan Tubridy.
In defence of his daughter, Markle denied this suggestion, saying: “That’s really not a character trait.
“She’s always been very polite to everyone, never been rude to anyone. I don’t know what’s really happening right now.”
Concluding the interview, Markle wished Harry and Meghan a “merry Christmas” and saying he would spend the festive period with friends, giving out presents to less fortunate children.