Well wishers across the globe have showered soon-to-be parents Meghan Markle and Prince Harry with love after Kensington Palace announced the newlywed couple's pregnancy on October 15. Now, Meghan's father is adding his own voice to the conversation — as he has done so many times before.
Speaking with Daily Mail, Thomas Markle said he found out his youngest daughter was expecting from the radio while driving to the U.S.-Mexico border. “It was a very proud moment,” Markle told the tabloid. “I was filled with love, joy and happiness for both my beautiful daughter and my son-in-law. A new baby is a blessing and I look forward to seeing a little Meghan or a little Harry.” He continued, “I was sitting in line waiting to cross the border when I heard the baby announcement on the car radio...I thought, ‘My baby is having a baby.'”
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Markle got nostalgic, thinking back to holding a newborn Meghan, "When they handed her to me and I held her in my arms for the first time it was love at first sight. She was the most beautiful baby,” he recalled. “Meghan winked at me and I fell in love and have never stopped loving her from that day forward.”
The duchess' estranged father, who didn't attend Meghan and Harry's fairytale Royal Wedding, added that Meghan was more than ready for motherhood. “She’s always been wonderful with children and most of her friends have families so she’s used to being around kids. She will make a fantastic mother,” he said, adding, “I love my daughter and always will. She will be a great mum. I wish her and Harry nothing but the best.”
This surprisingly warm interview is a far cry from Markle's other conversations with outlets, which he has used to chastise Meghan, Harry, and even the Queen. Just this past summer, he told The Sun Meghan was merely acting as if she was happy in her new life as a royal. "I see it in her eyes, I see it in her face and I see it in her smile. I've seen her smile for years. I know her smile,” he said in the July interview. “I don't like the one I'm seeing now. This one isn't even a stage smile — this is a pained smile."
Markle's interview comes on the heels of daughter Samantha Grant's lukewarm reaction to her sister's pregnancy. In an interview with The Sun — tabloid interviews are a theme here — Grant wished the couple well but noted her father's absence from Kensington Palace's announcement of the pregnancy. Meghan's mother Doria Ragland, however, was included. "If he is excluded, I won't be happy. It is in the best interests of the baby for my dad to be included." Since Meghan came on the scene in late 2016, Grant has reportedly made roughly $100,000 in paid interviews and appearances discussing her sister's newly minted royal status.