Thomas Markle criticises ‘snotty’ Prince Harry and says daughter Meghan has ‘let him down’

Watch: Meghan Markle says dad Thomas Markle lied to her about tabloid stories

Meghan Markle's father has called Prince Harry "snotty" as he responded to their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in which Meghan said she felt betrayed by him.

Thomas Markle Snr said he would always love his daughter, but that he felt she had let him down as well, saying he did not get any support to adjust when photographers turned up outside his home in the lead up to the royal wedding in May 2018.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain about Meghan's comments to Winfrey, Markle Snr said: "This is the first time I have heard her speak in four years. The last time we spoke, we texted, I was laying in a hospital bed after having a heart attack.

"I had to tell them I couldn't come to the wedding.

"At that point, they pretty much said goodbye, actually it wasn't quite goodbye – Harry had said to me 'if you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened to you'."

Adding that he'd been in surgery having stents put in when he claimed Harry made the remark he said: "I felt that was kind of snotty. That's the last conversation we had."

Meghan, 39, said she had felt betrayed by her father when he worked with paparazzi to stage photographs which were more flattering to him. She said she had asked him about them and he denied co-operating.

She said: "We called my dad and I asked him (if he talked to the tabloids) and he said ‘no, absolutely not’, and I said, ‘you know the institution has never intervened for 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 that same leverage to protect our own kids one day’.

“‘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.”

Winfrey said: “Not being willing to protect you?”

Meghan said: “And also me saying just full stop, ‘if we use this to protect you we won’t be able to protect our own children one day, I’m talking about your grandchildren’.

“I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can’t imagine it, so it’s hard for me to reconcile that.”

Watch: Duchess tells Oprah there were 'concerns' about Archie's skin colour and she contemplated suicide

Read more: The poll that shows Britons have little sympathy for either Harry and Meghan or the royals

Asked about her father’s accountability for his actions, she added: “Everyone has accountability.

“They (tabloids) hunted my mum down and you’ve never heard her say a word.”

Markle Snr explained pictures were taken of him "every day" and that "they were making me an alcoholic, they were talking about my clothes".

He said: "Of course I was going to go for this deal."

Asked about whether he spoke to Meghan about it, he said: "I denied it."

He added: "I wish I hadn't done the whole thing.

"No one took any time to protect any member of our family. We were attacked by the press every day.

"No one helped us - then I saw a headline that said they recommended to Harry and Meghan that someone come and help me and that Meghan and Harry denied that and said don't do it.

"I am still apologising, today again. I also said we all make mistakes, but I have never played naked pool and I've never dressed up like Hitler."

He continued: "I've been pushed around and knocked down for one thing, for one big mistake, I've apologised as many times, as much as I love my daughter, had I known she was having psychological problems I would have been there.

"She had no one to reach out to – she would have had us if she'd kept us."

Read more: Royals 'had concerns about Archie's skin colour': 5 most explosive claims about Royal Family from Meghan Markle’s Oprah interview

Asked how he felt about the duchess's account of feeling suicidal, he said: "It really did upset me, it would have been easy to reach out to me or any of the rest of her family who she claims she doesn't know

"I would think she could turn to her husband."

Meghan revealed the depth of her rift with her father to Winfrey, saying she had "lost" him.

She said: "I have lost my father, I lost a baby, I nearly lost my name, there’s the loss of identity,” but added: “I’m still standing.”

Speaking on Tuesday, Markle Snr continued: "The bottom line is she didn't lose me. She made a statement that she lost me - I would have always been there, I'm there now if she wants me.

"I've done maybe six articles for the press, as everyone knows, every other newspaper takes those and suddenly it's 100 articles, but I've never done that many."

Markle Snr also said of his daughter: "I feel she let me down - I was in a hospital bed last time I heard from them and I never heard from them again.

"I had a procedure where they put a stent in me, and I never heard from them."

Read more: Harry says Prince Charles stopped taking his calls before he stepped back as a senior royal

He closed by saying: "This is a long time ago, I've tried to make up for it. They're probably about 70 miles from me now, I'm available any time you'd like to get together, I'd like to see my grandson.

"I've never stopped loving my daughter.

"I don't always agree with what my children do but I never stop loving my children. I'm still her dad.

"There was a thing on Tig [Meghan Markle's blog before she married Harry] where she talked about me - she said there should be more guys like my dad.

"There must be something good somewhere."

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