The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged half-sister Samantha Markle has issued a fresh plea to Meghan following her baby news.
In a new interview with Mail on Sunday, Samantha revealed for the first time the contents of a letter to Meghan she claims to have hand-delivered to Kensington Palace earlier this month.
She told the Mail on Sunday the letter was two pages long and typed in a fancy calligraphy, rather than handwritten because Samantha’s multiple sclerosis makes it difficult to write.
Read more: Samantha Markle “letting everything go” after Meghan’s baby news
The main focus of the letter, she said, is urging Meghan to make amends with their father, Thomas Markle, 74, who has yet to meet Harry and was forced to miss the Royal Wedding in May due to ill health.
He suffered two heart attacks and was hospitalised days before Meghan and Harry tied the knot, meaning he was not able to walk his daughter down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
“Now that she is about to become a parent herself I was hoping this letter would cut through all the misconception and explain to her the hurt and isolation the family felt,” said Samantha.
According to the Mail on Sunday, part of the letter read: “I want nothing from you, but your continued happiness, and the happiness of Dad. He loves you very much, and I only ask that you reach out to him before it is too late.”
Another part read: “I don’t believe that his health can bear this isolation on a continual basis. He has been loving and self-sacrificing to you over your whole life, even raising you on his own for a significantly large part of it.”
Samantha told the newspaper the letter said she did not require a reply from Meghan, she just hoped Meghan would get in touch with their father.
It’s unclear if Meghan received the letter.
Samantha previously told The Sun that she’s happy for Meghan, 37, and husband Prince Harry, 34, and hopes their future child could help heal the rift among the Markle family.
But she also warned she’d not be happy if their father Thomas was left out of the fold.
Referring to Kensington Palace’s announcement about the pregnancy, which included a name check for Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, Samantha said: “I would hope that — for the sake of the baby, the family, the world and my dad — that leaving him out of the statement was not intentional.
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Sussex is expecting a baby in the Spring of 2019. pic.twitter.com/Ut9C0RagLk
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 15, 2018
“I hope my dad is included and at a proper time. If he is excluded, I won’t be happy. It is in the best interests of the baby for my dad to be included.”
Samantha also said “a baby changes everything and softens everyone” and she hopes there will be “some adjustment” to include her father.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain in June, Thomas had predicted a royal baby would arrive sooner rather than later – and he was right.
“She has wanted children for a long time,” he said of Meghan. “And when she met Harry she spoke about how much she loved him and so there has to be a child in the making somewhere soon.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are currently in Australia on the first leg of their first overseas tour as a married couple.
Read more: Samantha Markle breaks silence on Meghan’s pregnancy
It emerged today that Meghan will be cutting back slightly on planned engagements for the next few days in order to rest, ahead of the last week and a half of the tour.
They’re due to visit Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand before returning to the UK.
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