The Duchess of Sussex was
being questioned about her rift with her own father when she reflected on how
the toxic tabloid press had impacted the couple’s familial lives and left them
both with strained relationships with their fathers.
According to an Archewell
spokesperson, Meghan was misinterpreted in the interview with The New
York Times magazine supplement. She was quoted as saying: “Harry
said to me, ‘I lost my dad in this process,'” but she meant that her
spouse had pointed out to her that her relationship with Thomas
Markle had broken down, not Harry’s relationship with Prince Charles.
She went on to add in the next
sentence that she hopes the same doesn’t happen to her husband and her
father-in-law’s relationship. “It doesn’t have to be the same for them as
it was for me, but that’s his decision,” she said.
The Duke of Sussex has
previously been vocal about how his decision to step down as a senior member of
the royal family has affected his relationship with the Prince of Wales.
During the royal couple’s
explosive tell-all with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry said that his father had
“stopped taking my calls” and that the royal family “literally cut
me off financially”.
However, in an exclusive essay
for Newsweek earlier this year, Prince Charles said he was
“proud” of both Harry and his older brother, Prince
William.
He spoke of his pride in
both of his sons’ efforts to combat climate change, writing: “As a father,
I am proud that my sons have recognized this threat […] my younger son,
Harry, has passionately highlighted the impact of climate change, especially in
relation to Africa and committed his charity to being net zero.”