Meghan's estranged father speaks out

Thomas Markle Calls Out Meghan and Harry For "Whining" In New Book 'Finding Freedom'

Thomas Markle Sr. has made it known that he's displeased with the contents of Finding Freedom and the timing of its release. The biography about Harry and Meghan comes out on Aug. 11, but it's already made significant headlines as extracts were released over the weekend. Read on for the comments made by Mr. Markle, Duchess Meghan's estranged father.

The release of Finding Freedom promised to retrace the whole of the Sussex royal drama once more. Now, after the first round of the book's extracts, it's only fitting that a figure from the past has reappeared with an opinion on the topic. Enter Thomas Markle Sr., Duchess Meghan's estranged father.

Thomas Markle on Harry and Meghan's "whining" in new book

On July 27, Mr. Markle revealed to The Sun that he's none too pleased with the timing of Finding Freedom, which has dominated royal headlines after being serialized in The Sunday Times beginning on July 25.

In his view, the fault rests on the book's release amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "This is the worst time in the world for them to be whining and complaining about anything — because people everywhere are suffering due to the coronavirus pandemic," he told The Sun.

"I love my daughter but I really don't appreciate what she's become right now," Markle, 76, added. He spoke to the outlet from his home, which is reportedly in Rosarito, Mexico.

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The Thomas Markle Sr. royal wedding drama revisited

Previous reports have revealed that Mr. Markle and his daughter have not spoken since he didn't respond to a series of phone messages left by Meghan, who wanted him to attend her 2018 wedding despite clashes ahead of the day. He later said he was unable to attend due to his recovery from a heart attack brought on by intense media scrutiny.

These events, and Mr. Markle's staging of paparazzi photos in the lead-up to the wedding, are retraced in Finding Freedom. However, it appears Mr. Markle is either uninformed on the authorship of the biography, or doubts the claim that his daughter and Prince Harry have no involvement with the book.

On July 25, the Sussexes released a statement that read: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors' own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting."

All the same, Mr. Markle has directed his criticism of Finding Freedom at his daughter and son-in-law. The biography will land on Aug. 11. Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, most recently made headlines for filing a lawsuit against paparazzi who they claim have illegally taken photos of Archie on the family's property in Los Angeles.