Meghan Markle Was Close to Thomas During Her Childhood Despite Her Parents' Divorce

Source: Netflix/YouTubeMeghan Markle and her father, Thomas, have been estranged for years.

Meghan Markle's estrangement from her father, Thomas Markle, reached a new dramatic point amid his hospitalization following what was described as a "life or death" surgery.

Long before the family feud erupted, Meghan remained to Thomas despite his divorce from Doria Ragland. In a 2017 interview, she revealed she never saw her parents fight, even after their separation."We would still take vacations together. My dad would come on Sundays to drop me off, and we'd watch Jeopardy! eating dinner on TV trays, the three of us," Meghan told Vanity Fair. "We were still so close-knit."

Thomas Markle Supported Meghan's Early Acting Career

Source: Good Morning Britain/YouTubeMeghan Markle had guest TV appearances and small film roles before starring in 'Suits.

'Thomas, a retired television lighting director and director of photography, exposed Meghan to the entertainment industry while he worked on Married... with Children.

According to Meghan, she was on the set of the hit sitcom "every day after school for 10 years.""[It was] a really funny and perverse place for a little girl in a Catholic school uniform to grow up," she added.

Still, she was reportedly not allowed to watch the show at home.

After years of playing small TV and film roles, Meghan landed her big break on Suits, and her experience on set with her father reportedly helped her working life."Transpo [the transportation crew] - that's the world that I'm comfortable with. "Especially the director of photography. I will always find my light. No question," she told Esquire. "And if I don't, I'll know, because my dad will be the first person to call me and say, 'You need to have him bring another 2K in,' and 'Why aren't you using this sort of lighting gel?' The crew guys know that it's where I grew up."

Meghan Markle and Thomas' Relationship Became Strained as She Began Dating Prince Harry

Source: MEGAThings got complicated when Meghan Markle started dating Prince Harry.

Thomas and Meghan's father-daughter bond began to fall apart when the former Deal or No Deal model struck up a romance with Prince Harry.

In a 2018 episode of Good Morning Britain, Thomas said his daughter told him about her boyfriend during a call. At the time, Meghan reportedly asked him to call the royal prince "H" to keep their relationship out of the spotlight.

He also talked about the couple's 2017 engagement, revealing, "Meghan told me first, and a few times after that Harry got on the phone with Meghan, they called me together, and Harry asked me [for] her hand [in marriage] over the phone. I said, 'You're a gentleman, promise me you'll never raise your hand against my daughter, and of course I give you my permission.'"However, the engagement became the "turning point" for him, as he faced "seven paparazzi on my doorstep night and day for seven days" after the news broke.

Thomas Markle's Staged Paparazzi Photos Sparked Controversy in 2018

Source: MEGAThe controversy emerged before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding.

A few weeks before Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding on May 19, 2018, paparazzi photos of Thomas "preparing" for the nuptials emerged. The snaps showed him in a coffee shop while reading a book titled Great Britain: A Pictorial Tour Through History.

Reports later confirmed the images were staged, with Meghan's half-sister, Samantha, admitting she was "entirely the culprit.""As we know, the media can take very unflattering photographs of people on their casual days and blow it way out of proportion," she shared on Loose Women in May 2018. "I said, you know, the world has no idea you're getting in shape, doing healthy things. They don't photograph you buying vegetables and PH water. They photograph you as unflattering ways as they can."Samantha clarified the photo was not "money motivated."She continued, "It was my suggestion that to benefit him and to benefit the royal family that everyone looked good and they depict you as you are - in shape and doing healthy things."

Thomas Markle Skipped Prince Harry and Meghan's Royal Wedding

Source: MEGAMeghan Markle and Prince Harry wed on May 19, 2018.



MORE ON:Meghan MarkleInside Meghan & Thomas Markle's Relationship Through The Years Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'Would Need to Give a Sincere Public Apology' to Thomas Markle in Order to Fix Their Fractured RelationshipQueen Elizabeth Suggested Prince Harry Meet Thomas Markle To Smooth Things Over, But He Never Took Her AdviceWant OK! each day? Sign up here!On May 16, 2018, Thomas told an outlet he would skip Prince Harry and Meghan's wedding due to a heart attack that led to him to be hospitalized. He underwent a successful heart surgery later