Thomas Markle is not close with his daughter (Image: ITV)

Meghan Markle has been estranged from her father, Thomas Markle, for years and chose not to pay tribute to him on social media this year for Father’s Day.

The pair have been distant since Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, with Thomas yet to meet his son-in-law or grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Royal experts are questioning why an introduction has not taken place. One expert believed the Duchess of Sussex thought her father “had done something.”

Hugo Vickers, a royal author, speculated on the Royal Exclusive show about three possible reasons, “One that she was ashamed of him, which I think is a bit unattractive. Two, possibly that she thought he’d done something, but when Prince Harry rang Mr Markle up and asked if he could marry his daughter, he said, ‘You can marry her as long as you never raise your hand against her’”.

Thomas infamously missed his daughter’s royal wedding due to suffering two heart attacks near the event.

Prince Harry hasn’t met his father-in-law (Image: Samir Hussein/WireImage)

Vickers continued, “Mr Markle should have been at the wedding and they should have flown him over and stuck him in a health farm in the Shetlands or somewhere.

“Prince Harry should have gone up to see him and if he couldn’t have walked the aisle he should have been sitting there, because, as you rightly say, he did a lot for that girl and she even admitted it in the early days before she distanced herself from him.”

Thomas Markle previously expressed that, despite disapproving of some of Meghan’s actions, he remains open to reconciliation.

A rift formed between Thomas and Meghan after he was photographed by paparazzi before the royal wedding. In a 2021 conversation with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan described the incident, “I’m trying to decide if I’m comfortable even talking about that. It was… if we were going to use the word betrayal.”

It is believed that Thomas, who was unable to attend the wedding due to health issues, participated in the staged photos to improve his public image and help Meghan, who had been relentlessly pursued by photographers.

However, Meghan and Harry interpreted the situation differently, leading to a strained relationship. Meghan attempted to mend ties with her father through texts and a letter, but these efforts were unsuccessful, particularly after Thomas leaked parts of the letter to counter what he saw as unfair media portrayals.

The retired TV lighting director, 80, who had previously lived in a cliffside property near the US border in Rosarito, Mexico, for more than 10 years, relocated to Southeast Asia earlier this year.

He was accompanied on his move by his son Thomas Jr. , 58, who is Meghan’s half-brother.