Why Meghan Markle’s Cold Message to Her Hospitalized Father Would Hurt Her More Than Him
Meghan Markle's spokesperson confirmed that she had contacted her father after his surgery, slamming a journalist who had claimed otherwise.
After Thomas Markle leaked staged photos of himself to the press in 2018 and gave bombshell interviews, Meghan Markle cut all ties with him. The two hadn't spoken since, until recently, when Thomas was hospitalized and later underwent a leg amputation. Shortly after the surgery, Meghan's spokesperson confirmed that she had corresponded with her father, slamming a Daily Mail story that claimed otherwise. Weighing in on the dispute, TV broadcaster Mark Dolan argued that the Duchess made a major misstep by criticizing the Mail's journalist, who has remained close to Thomas during his most vulnerable period.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Dolan believed Meghan's spokesperson's statements were in poor taste, considering that Thomas had been a father figure to Caroline Graham, the journalist in question, for seven years. He said, "He's [Thomas] in a foreign country thousands of miles away. He's got his son, Thomas Markle Jr, but he's got major issues, too. He's got health problems, he's broke, and he's not been able to be at the hospital 24/7, so Caroline has filled the gap." Criticizing Meghan's treatment of Thomas and Graham, he added, "And what is her [Graham] reward? A subtle attack from the ruthless Sussex public relations machine, throwing shade at the Mail on Sunday for running this story."
Further explaining why her tiff with her father was a 'public relations disaster,' Dolan stressed that it undid Meghan's efforts in trying to establish herself in Hollywood. He opined, "She's got her ailing business empire, As Ever, which is basically a bit of honey and a couple of flower sprinkles. It's turned into a bitter war of words, and all Thomas Markle gets from Meghan is one of her creepy calligraphy letters." The TV host further argued that receiving a letter instead of a real meeting from his daughter was a 'slap in the face' for Thomas.
After his leg amputation, Meghan's spokesman confirmed on December 10 that a note had been delivered to Thomas in the hospital due to "the support of reliable and trusted people." Shortly after, they said in a statement to PEOPLE, "Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father's bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days." The outlet also understands that Meghan had contacted several hospitals asking for her father, in an effort to locate him.
Meanwhile, Graham insisted that Thomas had contacted her when he fell ill and requested her to travel to the Philippines to be by his side. In her article, she wrote, "He [Thomas] had chosen to break the news of the amputation to me before his own family," adding that she then made the 22-hour journey from Los Angeles to his hospital bedside in the Philippines. Describing their atypical relationship, she revealed that Thomas was her 'rock-solid' friend who helped her cope with the deaths of her mother and brother.
