Meghan Markle Allegedly Ignores Roses Estranged Father Sent For Her 40th Birthday: Report

Meghan Markle's estranged father claimed he sent the duchess a gift for her birthday but hasn't received any thanks for the gesture.

The Duchess of Sussex and her dad, Thomas Markle, have not been on speaking terms since 2018, and the latter has since criticized his daughter and his son-in-law Prince Harry in multiple interviews. However, the 77-year-old former lighting director told TMZ Saturday that he sent a bouquet of flowers to Markle's Montecito, California, residence Wednesday to celebrate her milestone 40th birthday.

He said he accompanied the flowers with a personalized card that read, "Wishing you a happy birthday and brighter days."

Thomas told the outlet that the bouquet he sent featured a dozen red roses with two yellow ones in the middle to represent her and Prince Harry's two children — Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 2 months.

The Mexico resident explained that he specifically wanted to incorporate his grandchildren into Markle's birthday floral arrangement. Thomas further expressed his desire to be a part of their lives since "it seems the kids don’t have enough family" in Montecito.

Thomas claimed that he did not receive a response from the duchess for the gift but said "that's fine" and that he is "just hoping she likes the flowers."

Meanwhile, Markle planned to have a low-key birthday celebration at home with Prince Harry and their two children Wednesday, an unnamed source told Us Weekly. According to the tipster, the duchess did not want "a blowout 40th" as she "feels it would be wrong to organize a big birthday bash in the midst of a pandemic."

The source also said that Markle has embraced the fact that she's entering her 40s.

"Meghan isn’t fazed about entering into a new decade of her life," the insider said. "She’s embracing turning 40 years old."

Meanwhile, Markle's father said in an interview with Fox News last month that he was planning to file a petition with the California courts for the rights to see his grandchildren, Archie and Lili. However, Thomas might not get what he wants, according to attorney Mark Gross, whose clients include Charlie Sheen and Lisa Marie Presley.

The lawyer told Us Weekly that the closeness between grandparents and their grandchildren plays a significant role in whether grandparents are granted visitation rights. However, Thomas has not established any relationship with his grandkids, the attorney noted.

"With no relationship established between Mr. Markle and his grandchildren, there is no path that any court would give him for visitation," Gross said.

He added, "Given Mr. Markle going on television and giving interviews with his intentions of seeking visitation, well that certainly isn’t in the best interest of the children either. Any judge is going to look at that and have cause for concern. If he were my client, I would advise him to not give any interviews, period. It’s only self-serving."