Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has plans to sue her friends over the letter she sent him after her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
According to reports, Thomas has spoken to his lawyers about filing a lawsuit against five of the Duchess of Sussex's friends. The father alleged that it was these friends who revealed the existence of the letter to People before its contents were published on the Daily Mail.
Thomas said that his lawyers are "trying to get the names" since the People interview did not name them. He said that their revelations were full of lies and defamation that would likely make People liable as well, if he decides to pursue the lawsuit.
The Duchess of Sussex won her case against Daily Mail for publishing the letter she gave her father in a series of article. The judge ruled that the tabloid breached her privacy and has ordered the news outlet to pay $2 million and place a front-page apology to Harry's wife.
Daily Mail and its publisher Associated Newspapers plan to appeal the ruling. Until the appeal has been determined, the judge agreed that they may hold off on the public apology.
Thomas Markle had been looking forward to speaking at the court hearing of his daughter's case against Daily Mail, slated for late 2021, to defend himself against the accusations of her friends. However, the court hearing will not proceed since the case has been decided in late February.
The father said that the only reason he gave the letter to Daily Mail was because he became enraged with her friends' interview. Thomas has also, reportedly, hand-delivered a letter to Oprah Winfrey, informing her that he would also like a sit-down chat with the talk show host.
Sources said that the duchess' father drove himself up to Montecito from Mexico to bring the letter. Incidentally, Winfrey lives a short distance away from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's mansion. It's unclear if Thomas made attempts to visit his daughter as well and if he had to deal with security around the couple's home.
The Duchess of Sussex told Winfrey that she felt completely betrayed by her father after he denied that he had been working with the tabloid press and the paparazzi. She said that her mother, Doria Ragland, was also hounded by the press but she never engaged them.
On the other hand, Thomas Markle admitted in interviews that he made a mistake and lied to his daughter. However, he also said that he has apologized to his daughter many times but their relationship has been estranged for almost three years.
