Meghan Markle is reportedly threatening to sue over the release of her heartbreaking letter

‘If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop.’

meghan markle going to priyanka chopra's wedding

‘If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop.’

Meghan Markle has a difficult relationship with her family, something that has plagued her first year as a royal.

The Markles as a whole have created a lot of drama around the now Duchess of Sussex, from estranged nephew Tyler Dooley naming his cannabis business after her to her half sister Samantha Grant (now going by Markle) choosing Meghan’s due date as the release date for her tell-all book.

It’s her father Thomas Markle however who has made the most noise, continuously engaging with the press, despite Meghan’s reported pleas for him not to, and even announced to be releasing a book about Meghan’s childhood last month.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

This month the 74-year-old made news once again, as he leaked a personal letter that Meghan had sent him days after her wedding to the press, in which she begs for him to leave her in peace, something that according to The Mail on Sunday, Thomas called a ‘dagger to the heart’.

The leaking of the Duchess' private letter is said to have left her 'heartbroken', with a source telling US Weekly of Meghan's sadness.

‘Meghan really hoped Thomas wouldn’t leak the letter,’ a source told US Weekly. ‘She finds it absolutely heartbreaking that her own flesh and blood continues to profit from her.’

In fact, according to The Guardian, Meghan has had enough and 'has threatened the Mail on Sunday with legal action under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act for publishing a private letter she sent to her father.'

'Representatives of the duchess...have been in touch with the newspaper after its decision earlier this month to publish the handwritten message sent to Thomas Markle,' it stated.

REX
(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

‘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’re causing,’ the five-page handwritten letter leaked by Thomas read.

‘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.

(Image credit: Rex)

‘I have only ever loved, protected, and defended you, offering whatever financial support I could worrying about your health and always asking how I could help,’ she continued. ‘So the week of the wedding to hear about you having a heart attack through a tabloid was horrifying.

‘If you love me, as you tell the press you do, please stop. 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 realise you are so far down this rabbit hole that you feel (or may 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.’

‘For some reason you continue fabricating these stories, manufacturing this fictitious narrative, and entrenching yourself deeper into this web you’ve spun,’ she concluded her letter. ’The only thing that helps me sleep at night is the faith and knowing that a lie can’t live forever. I believed you, I trusted you, and told you I loved you.’

This is heartbreaking.

Jenny Proudfoot
Features Editor

Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.