Meghan Markle, Estranged Dad 'Not In Collusion'; Thomas 'Genuinely Distraught,' Royal Biographer Claims

Meghan Markle's estranged father is "genuinely" heartbroken over how his daughter has allegedly been treating him, a royal expert has claimed.

In a video uploaded to her YouTube channel Saturday, Lady Colin Campbell, author of "Diana in Private" and "Meghan and Harry: The Real Story," answered some questions about the royal family, including one that suggested Markle and her father Thomas may be "cohorts in crime."

She shared her answer in the description of the video, writing that "Meghan and her father are not in collusion and he is genuinely distraught at how she has discarded him."

The royal biographer discussed the topic further in the video, noting that this was not the first time she has been asked about the possibility that the Duchess of Sussex and her dad may be working together for the media attention. However, she once again confirmed that this was nothing but speculation.

"In my understanding, from the members of the Markle family with whom I have been in touch, it's sadly not so at all," Campbell said.

She further claimed, "Thomas Markle is brokenhearted by what has happened. He can't quite believe that his lovely, sweet, precious daughter whom he adored for 37 years or thereabouts has dismissed him rather the way she dismissed Trevor Engelson," referring to Markle's ex-husband.

Campbell, a longtime critic of Markle, claimed that Thomas was devastated and has been struggling to accept what has happened to his relationship with his daughter after she married into the royal family. She also said that she hoped Markle would do "the decent thing" and reach out to her father again.

The duchess has been estranged from her father since her 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry. Shortly before the ceremony, Thomas backed out of attending, and it was reported that he had staged photos of him supposedly getting ready for the wedding with the paparazzi.

During her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, Markle said her dad lied to her about staging paparazzi photos. "I said, 'I just need you to tell me and if you tell me the truth, we can help,' and he wasn't able to do that," she recalled. "And that, for me, has really resonated, especially now as a mother."

"I look at Archie, I think about this child [due to arrive], and I genuinely can't imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can't imagine it," she said. "So it's hard for me to reconcile that."

Earlier this month, Thomas claimed he sent his daughter roses for her 40th birthday but did not receive a reply.

Days later, however, he gave an interview with GB News, in which he accused the duchess of being a "liar" and claimed that she's "changed" since meeting Prince Harry.