This is what Thomas Markle told Piers Morgan in GMB interview - and how to watch it
The duchess of Sussex’s estranged father has spoken about his reaction to Meghan Markle and Harry’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, which aired in the UK on Monday (8 March) night and was watched by more than 11 million people.
Asked about the interview, Thomas Markle told Good Morning Britain (GMB) he was “very disappointed about it”, warning the Sussexes: “If I don’t hear from them in 30 days then I’ll do another story for the press.”
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Hide AdSpeaking from Rosarito, Mexico, Mr Markle said: "I’ve apologised about this thing, what happened, at least 100 times or so.”
Meghan has been estranged from her father since her 2018 wedding, but Winfrey was not seen questioning her about their relationship in the main programme.
Instead, discussions around Meghan’s father came in additional interview clips released later, in which the duchess said she found it difficult to discuss his actions, adding: “I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child.”
Here is everything you need to know about it.
What has Thomas Markle said about the interview?
Asked about the timing of the Sussexes’ interview, Mr Markle said: “They went way over the top with it, these stories with Oprah, and should have waited. Considering the Queen’s age and Philip’s age, they certainly should have waited or tried to wait.”
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Hide AdOn the comment alleged to have been made by a member of the royal family on how dark Harry and Meghan’s baby’s skin tone might be, he said he hoped it was “just a dumb question”.
“I have great respect for the royals and I don’t think the British royal family are racist at all. I don’t think the British are racist.”
He said: “I’m guessing and hoping it’s just a dumb question from somebody. It could just be that simple, it could be somebody asked a stupid question, rather than being a total racist.”
Markle added that Harry and Meghan are living “probably about 70 miles from me now”, and said: “I’m available any time we can get together. I’d love to get together. I’d certainly like to see my grandson.”
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Hide Ad“The bottom line is I’ve never heard back from Meghan or Harry in any way shape or form,” Thomas Markle told GMB. “When they say that I’m taking advantage of the press well basically what I do, because I haven’t heard from them, I'll do a story for the press.
“If I don’t hear from them in 30 days then I’ll do another story for the press.” He added: “When they decide to talk to me I’ll stop talking to the press.”
Which photos has Markle apologised for?
Mr Markle told of his regret at staging paparazzi photographs ahead of Meghan and Harry’s wedding, saying: “I wish I hadn’t done the whole thing.
“But here’s the other side of the coin. No one took any time to protect any member of our family. We were attacked by the press every day. Nobody was there to care for us, nobody looked after us.”
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Hide AdHe added: “No one helped us. Then I saw a headline saying they recommended… to Harry and Meghan that someone come and help me, someone come and take care of me and Meghan and Harry denied that and said, ‘don’t do it,’ so I was left out to dry.
“And in spite of all that, I still apologised, I’m apologising today again… I also said we all make mistakes… but I’ve never played naked pool and I’ve never dressed up like Hitler.
“Biggest problem here is she has pretty much ghosted all of her family on her mother’s side and my side, so she really had no-one to reach out to.”
Asked about Meghan’s suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant, he said: “It really did upset me… It would have been easy for her to reach out to me.
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Hide Ad“I’ve been pushed around and knocked down for one thing I did, for one big mistake I made, and I’ve apologised for it as many times as I possibly can. However, I love my daughter very much. Had I known she was having psychological problems, I would have been there for her."
How can I watch the interview?
Clips and highlights from the interview are currently being shared by Good Morning Britain’s Twitter handle, @GMB.
The full interview will be available to watch on demand once the Tuesday 8 March edition of GMB has been uploaded to ITV Hub, which usually happens shortly after the broadcast has concluded.
A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post