Thomas Markle Leaks Letter From His Daughter, the Duchess of Sussex

(Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

A five-page letter that Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex wrote to her estranged father Thomas Markle, was leaked to the press this past weekend, sending the palace into an uproar and threatening legal action.

In the letter, the Duchess pours out her heart to her father. This is a brief excerpt from the letter dated August 2018:

“Daddy, it is with a heavy heart that I write this, not understanding why you have chosen to take this path, turning a blind eye to the pain you are causing. Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces — not simply because you have manufactured such unnecessary and unwarranted pain, but by making the choice to not tell the truth as you are puppeteered in this. Something I will never understand.”

“If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop,” wrote Markle. “Please allow us to live our lives in peace. Please stop lying, please stop creating so much pain, please stop exploiting my relationship with my husband. I realize you are so far down this rabbit hole that you feel (or may not feel) there’s no way out, but if you take a moment to pause I think you’ll see that being able to live with a clear conscience is more valuable than any payment in the world.”

Defending his decision to share the letter publicly, Thomas Markle, 74, claims it was to set the record straight after Meghan’s five close friends gave an anonymous and exclusive interview with People Magazine last week. He also claims that repeated texts sent to Meghan since her wedding have been ignored by his daughter.

The Palace is weighing options as well as adhering to the wishes of the Duchess of Sussex.