Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Text Messages to Her Dad Before Royal Wedding Revealed in Court Docs

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's pleas to Thomas Markle in text messages from 2018 have been revealed.

By Samantha Schnurr Apr 20, 2020 7:02 PMTags
Watch: Will Suing the Press Really Help Prince Harry & Meghan Markle?

As Meghan Markle's legal battle with British press continues, text messages the royal couple sent to her father have been revealed. 

In new reply court documents filed in the Duchess of Sussex's lawsuit against Associated Newspapers and obtained by E! News, Markle attempts to set the record straight on her communication with her father, Thomas Markle, in the "lead-up to the wedding."

As a result, the filing lists text messages sent to her dad just days before their royal wedding on May 19, 2018, including one Prince Harry penned on Meghan's phone on May 14, 2018 after Thomas allegedly apologized and confirmed he would not be attending via text and then did not answer several phone calls. 

"Tom, it's Harry and I'm going to call you right now. Please pick up, thank you" / "Tom, Harry again! Really need to speak to u. U do not need to apologize, we understand the circumstances but 'going public' will only make the situation worse. If u love Meg and want to make it right please call me as there are two other options which don't involve u having to speak to the media, who incidentally created this whole situation. So please call me so I can explain. Meg and I are not angry, we just need to speak to u. Thanks" / "Oh any speaking to the press WILL backfire, trust me Tom. Only we can help u, as we have been trying from day 1," Harry's texts read, according to the court documents. 

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Royal Wedding Day Photos

The documents also note that the Duchess of Sussex first learned that her father suffered a heart attack when he told TMZ. A day after the report, on May 15, 2018, Meghan said in a text, "I've been reaching out to you all weekend but you're not taking any of our calls or replying to any texts... Very concerned about your health and safety and have taken every measure to protect you but not sure what more we can do if you don't respond...Do you need help? Can we send the security team down again? I'm very sorry to hear you're in the hospital but need you to please get in touch with us... What hospital are you at?"

Shortly after, she sent another text, according to the documents, which read, "Harry and I made a decision earlier today and are dispatching the same security guys you turned away this weekend to be a presence on the ground to make sure you're safe... they will be there at your disposal as soon as you need them. Please please call as soon as you can.. all of this is incredibly concerning but your health is most important." According to the documents, her father said in response that he would be in the hospital for a few days and refused the security offer.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

The documents also state that Meghan received a missed call at 4:57 a.m. from her father on the morning of her wedding, but did not receive any text messages or further missed calls him from afterward and they ultimately did not speak before her wedding. As fans likely recall, Thomas ultimately did not attend the wedding nor escort his daughter down the aisle.

It's been more than six months since Prince Harry spoke out against the "ruthless campaign" waged against his wife and announced they were taking legal action after The Mail on Sunday published parts of her private letter to her father.  

"This particular legal action hinges on one incident in a long and disturbing pattern of behaviour by British tabloid media. The contents of a private letter were published unlawfully in an intentionally destructive manner to manipulate you, the reader, and further the divisive agenda of the media group in question," Harry said in a statement back in October 2019. "In addition to their unlawful publication of this private document, they purposely misled you by strategically omitting select paragraphs, specific sentences, and even singular words to mask the lies they had perpetuated for over a year."

At the time, a spokesperson for The Mail on Sunday told E! News in a statement, "The Mail on Sunday stands by the story it published and will be defending this case vigorously. Specifically, we categorically deny that the Duchess' letter was edited in any way that changed its meaning."