30 April 2023 , 15:00
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Thomas Markle Snr has claimed his daughter Meghan Markle "killed me, then mourned me" after their relationship broke down just days before her wedding to Prince Harry.
The father and daughter duo have a strained relationship, which came to a head when Thomas became the centre of a scandal as he was caught staging paparazzi pictures of himself in exchange for payment.
The 78-year-old then said he would no longer be at his daughter's wedding in 2018 because of the fallout from the paparazzi photos.
However, the Palace later cited health issues as the reason for his absence.
The Duke of Sussex addressed the incident in his memoir Spare, in which he said his wife was left devastated and experienced "pure grief".
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Thomas Markle Snr has hit back at Prince Harry's comments (7News)"I knew my way around grief and there was no mistaking it. This was pure grief. She was mourning the loss of her father.
"Every day there was another humiliating photo in the papers. Thomas Markle buying a new loo, Thomas Markle buying a six-pack, Thomas Markle with his belly hanging over his belt," Harry wrote in his book.
In a world-exclusive interview with Channel 7's Taylor Auerbach, Meghan's father was asked about Harry's comments.
The interviewer noted: "It sounds as though you're dead."
Thomas replied: "Exactly. She killed me and then mourned me."
Growing up, Meghan Markle had a good relationship with her father (Netflix)Growing up, Meghan had a good relationship with her father
She has previously opened up about the photograph scandal and admitted she found it hard to understand why her father had done it.
Speaking to Oprah Winfrey, she explained: "We called my dad and I asked him [about staging the photos] he said, 'No, absolutely not'.
"I said, '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."
She added: "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."
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Meghan's estranged family reunited for a TV interview (7News Spotlight)Meghan's mum has also revealed what she really thinks about the photo scandal.
Speaking on Meghan and Harry's Netflix documentary, Doria Ragland said: "I felt sad that the media would run with this. That he would capitalize
"Certainly, as a parent — that's not what you do. That's not parenting."
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Speaking in the new Channel 7 interview, Meghan's sister Samantha Markle said she believes her father was "unfairly treated" by the press.
She said: "My father, he worked 40 years in television, won two Emmy awards, was nominated for another one and so all of his peers at ABC and in television seeing 'deadbeat dad, he's a drunk, he's slovenly, he's you know cashing in on his daughter'."