Thomas Markle denies having his phone ‘compromised’ amid texts with Meghan
‘She does still have a father. I’m here,’ Markle says
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle, has denied that his phone was “compromised” before his daughter’s wedding.
Texts allegedly sent by Markle in May 2018, as shown in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan, made Meghan question whether or not his phone was being used by someone else.
The messages were exchanged after it was revealed that Markle posed for paparazzi photographs, which he later apologised for.
A text sent by Meghan to her father, as shown in the documentary, states: “Please can I ask that you stop talking to any press [...] You haven’t returned any of our 20+ calls since we all spoke on Saturday morning; which only adds to the hurt you’ve been causing. We aren’t angry but we do really need to speak to u [sic].”
A response from her father read: “I’ve done nothing to hurt you Meghan or anyone else I know nothing about 20 phone calls I’m sorry my heart attack is there any inconvenience for you.”
Speaking to the camera about the message, Meghan explained: “It was really weird. You know how people text, right?
“My dad used a lot of emojis and a lot of ellipses and dot, dot, dot, and this was just the opposite. And it called me Meghan.
“I was like: ‘He’s never called me Meghan any day that I’ve lived on this planet.’ Meg, all my friends call me Meg and my parents call me Meg and I was like, ‘That’s not my dad.’ So then we knew that his phone had been compromised.”
However, Markle has told The Mail on Sunday that his phone had not, in fact, been compromised and he had been texting his daughter from hospital.
“I use it when I am serious, when there are serious issues involved,” he said.
“She does still have a father. I’m here, I still live in the same house and I still have the same number. I’m still her dad. I would love to see my grandchildren.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments