It's harder for him to not be able to talk to his daughter, given how the Duchess of Sussex was closer to him than anyone else in the family, the source added.
Despite years of turmoil that led to the ultimate falling out between Meghan Markle and her dad, the latter is still open for a reconciliation with his daughter, reports Fox News. A family source revealed that Thomas Markle Sr. is "getting up there in age", and what he really wants is to be able to do is turn his relationship around with his daughter if he ever gets the opportunity.
"He's frustrated," the insider revealed. "He's lived his life raising his kids. He moved to Mexico to live his life in peace and not to be completely blackballed and outcast. It doesn't feel good [for him]." It's harder for him to not be able to talk to his daughter, given how the Duchess of Sussex was closer to him than anyone else in the family, the source added.
"He was an awesome dad to Meghan."
But the fact that he was villanized by the media was wrong, added the source. "For him to get heat and be portrayed as this money-grabbing bum is not fair. He's not even like that," the source said. "He did pay for her college. That is 100% true.
In March 2021, during Harry and Meghan's explosive Oprah interview, the host asked Markle if she ever felt betrayed by her dad staging photos with the tabloids, per Insider. "If we're going to use the word 'betrayal,' it's because ... we called my dad and I asked him, and he said, 'No. Absolutely not,'" she replied.
"I said, 'You know, the institution has never intervened with anything for us. But they can try to go in and kill this story. But if they do this once, we're not going to be able to use this leverage to protect our own kids one day,'" she told Winfrey. "And I said, 'So I just need you to tell me. And if you tell me the truth, we can help.' And he wasn't able to do that. And that for me has really resonated, especially now as a mother."
This led to the father expressing his regret, in an interview with Good Morning Britain, over the incident of the staged photos he took in Mexico that ultimately led to his isolation from the Duchess of Sussex.
"I wish I hadn't done the whole thing but here's the other side...It's like no one took any time to protect any member of our family. We were attacked by the press every day - my oldest daughter, my son, myself, my grandchildren -- all of us were attacked by the press. Nobody was there to care for us. No one looked after us," he said.
The insider claims Markle's father is even scared to travel, given the negative publicity he's received ever since his falling out with his daughter. "He's scared to even make a move to go anywhere or do anything. He moved to Mexico to retire and not be bothered. He's definitely happy there."
Apparently, Thomas's past interviews, speaking ill about Harry's family, didn't come from a place of hate, states the insider.
"He loves Meghan. He didn't try to capitalize off of her. He had his own money despite people thinking he didn't. I think he maybe wanted to look in a better light and she wasn't defending him," he said. "He's not doing it to hurt her. Who wouldn't try to save their own reputation?" the source added.
References:
https://www.insider.com/meghan-markles-dad-thomas-markle-sr-drama-timeline-2018-8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibYOEoBRbqs
Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS - WPA Pool
