Meghan ‘rocked to core’ by public reaction to strained reaction with father

The Duchess of Sussex has said her “entire centre was rocked to its core” after she was confronted by a woman during a royal walkabout over her alleged treatment of her father.

Meghan has been estranged from her father, Thomas Markle, since around the time of her wedding to Harry.

Mr Markle made global headlines after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs in the days ahead of the ceremony in May 19 2018.

In episode four of their Netflix series, Meghan spoke about the effect tabloid stories about their strained relationship had on her around the wedding.

She said: “It is still under the delusion that if it’s in a tabloid no-one believed it, like it’s a tabloid.

“We had a walkabout in Liverpool and there was a group of women and one of them said to me ‘What you’re doing to your father is not right’.

“It was the first time that I went ‘Oh my God, people actually believe this stuff.’ And then my entire centre was rocked to its core.”

Harry said: “The lies, that’s one thing. You kind of get used to that when you live within this family. But what they were doing to her and the effect it was having on her.

“Enough of the pain, enough of the suffering. No-one sees what is happening behind closed doors.”

The duke compared her position to that of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, during her marriage to the now King.

He said: “Back in the day, my mum was in the back of the car going to engagements in floods of tears.

“And then my dad is saying ‘We are almost there’ and 30 seconds to wipe the tears away, slap on some make-up, and then the door opens and smile and everything is fine.”

Mimicking cameras, he added: “And flash, flash, flash, flash, flash.”

I reached out to Her Majesty and said ‘This is what’s going on. What do you want me to do? I want whatever advice you have’

Meghan also disclosed the Queen told her to write the letter to her father which was then leaked to the press.

The duchess sued the current publisher of the Daily Mail, Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL), and won in 2021 after The Mail On Sunday published parts of the “personal and private” missive.

She said: “And so I reached out to Her Majesty and said ‘This is what’s going on. What do you want me to do? I want whatever advice you have’, but ultimately it was suggested by the Queen, the Prince of Wales, that I write my dad a letter.”

She said she went to “great efforts” to get the letter to her father “discreetly”.

However, it was then leaked to the press, with parts of the letter appearing in the Mail on Sunday.

Harry said the paper printed it believing the royal family would encourage Meghan not to sue.

“People still scratching their heads going ‘How would the Mail have either the stupidity, or whatever you want to call it, to print a letter between a daughter and a father?’” he said.

“Well, the answer is simple: they knew the family would encourage us not to sue.”