- Thomas Markle said he will continue to accept money for appearances because he believes Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “owe” him.
- “It’s time to look after daddy,” Thomas said in the new Channel 5 documentary “Thomas Markle: My Story.”
- Thomas spoke at length about how he had financially provided for his daughter, while also noting that she had given him “some” money after her acting career took off.
- That money included $20,000 she gave him over the course of two years, Thomas revealed.
- “I’m going to defend myself, and I’m going to be paid for it,” he added. “What I’ve been through, I should be rewarded for.”
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Thomas Markle won’t stop talking to the press about his famous daughter anytime soon.
Meghan Markle’s father revealed that he will continue to accept money for appearances because he believes she and Prince Harry “owe” him.
“It’s time to look after daddy,” Thomas said in the new Channel 5 documentary “Thomas Markle: My Story,” which aired on Wednesday night.
And Thomas, who was paid for his participation in the documentary, said he plans to continue making money by speaking to the press.
"I'm going to defend myself, and I'm going to be paid for it," he added. "I'm not going to refuse being paid for it. I'll do future things and be paid for it. I don't care. At this point, they owe me.
"The royals owe me. Harry owes me. Meghan owes me. What I've been through, I should be rewarded for. My daughter told me that, when I reach my senior years, she'll take care of me. I'm in my senior years now, I'm 75 years old, so it's time to look after daddy."
Throughout the one-hour documentary, Thomas spoke at length about how he had financially provided for his daughter, while also noting that she had given him money multiple times after her acting career took off.
"She has given me some money," he said. "She gave me $5,000 for Christmas. Most of the money given to me was gifts. Only on one or two occasions did I ask her for a little help, but it was never more than a couple grand."
Thomas, who said he receives around $5,600 a month in retirement funds, also revealed that Meghan had given him $20,000 over the course of two years, which he said she once brought up when she was "angry" with him.
"The bottom line here is I paid for her college, I paid for her apartments, I paid for everything to get her where she is," he said. "I'm not saying she has to pay me back, but I'm saying it's awfully picky and awfully small to say 'I gave you all this money' when it's $20,000 over two years."
During the documentary, which was filmed in his home in Mexico, Thomas also spoke at length about the scandal that surrounded him after it was revealed that he had staged paparazzi photos before Meghan and Harry's wedding.
Thomas said that he posed for photos that showed him working out or getting measured for a suit because he wanted to "change" his image, not make money. But he also noted that he receives 30% of the sales from the photographs.
"You must still be making money off the pictures?" the interviewer asked.
"Absolutely," Thomas replied. "Because those pictures will sell forever."
Thomas also said that he believes his daughter and Prince Harry are stepping away from their senior royal roles because of money, calling their decision "embarrassing" after the couple said they wanted to be financially independent.
"She actually got every girl's dream," Thomas said. "Every girl wants to be a princess and she got that, and she looks like she's tossing it away for money."
"Apparently $3 million and a 26-bedroom home isn't enough for them," he added, referring to taxpayer funds that the couple spent towards their Frogmore Cottage home, which Harry and Meghan have already announced they plan to pay back.
In an August 2018 letter, Meghan told her father that his interviews with the press were causing her pain. Thomas later leaked parts of the letter to the Mail on Sunday.
But Thomas said he hopes the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will see his new documentary, in which he calls them "lost souls."
"I want Harry and Meghan to see this video and know this is not fair," he said. "To them, I don't exist."
- Read more:
- Thomas Markle says he cried seeing Meghan Markle walk down the aisle because he was 'jealous' of Prince Charles
- Thomas Markle says he told Meghan Markle and Prince Harry 'it's a shame I didn't die because you both could pretend that you're sad'
- Thomas Markle claims Prince Harry told him of his heart attack: 'If you had listened to me, this would not have happened to you'
- Thomas Markle says he had no idea who Prince Harry was when Meghan first told him they were dating
