Meghan Markle And Her Estranged Dad Have A Chance To Make TV History Together

After years of frosty relations and hard feelings, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are finally making progress on reconciling with their families. Harry and Meghan are reportedly considering a bold move to bring them back into the royal fold: namely, making a public apology to King Charles III. Now comes word that Meghan and her estranged father, Thomas Markle, could be making history together — but whether this will open a new chapter in their relationship remains to be seen.

Thomas, a former lighting director for "General Hospital," earned nine Daytime Emmy nominations alongside his coworkers for their production work, winning twice in 1982 and 2011. His daughter may soon have a golden statuette to match his: Her Netflix series, "With Love, Meghan," was nominated for a 2026 Daytime Emmy in the outstanding lifestyle program category. If the duchess prevails, she and her dad would be the second father and daughter to both snag Daytime Emmys, with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Daphne Oz being the first. (The Ozes would still have some bragging rights; they each won an award in 2016, and they were both nominated in the same two categories.)

An anonymous friend of the senior Markle told the Sunday Express that despite their rift, Thomas is rooting for his daughter. "Like any dad, he's enormously proud that Meghan is following in his footsteps," they said. "Despite the deep divide between them, he dearly wants her to succeed and would love to see her win." The friend claims Thomas was tempted to send Meghan a congratulatory note. "But in [the] end, he didn't because I don't think he wanted to set himself up for the likelihood that she would simply ghost him again."

While Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have both been at odds with their family members, the scenarios are quite different. Harry broke with The Firm over what he feels was their lack of support for his new wife as she was being harassed by the press. Meghan's already shaky relationship with her father, Thomas, suffered a huge blow when Thomas made a paid deal to pose for staged photos showing him preparing for his daughter's wedding — a major royal faux pas. The resulting fallout led to Thomas' decision to skip the ceremony, leaving then-Prince Charles to step in at the last minute.

Since then, the royal family has maintained their silence in the face of the Sussexes' grievances, with the only exception being Queen Elizabeth II's seemingly icy "some recollections may vary" statement on their famous Oprah interview (per People). The senior Markle, on the other hand, has been less diplomatic about his daughter's doings. When "With Love, Meghan" first aired, Thomas roasted Meghan so hard even critics might have winced. Admitting he hadn't actually watched the lifestyle show, he nonetheless told the Daily Mail, "It's sad because she's trying too hard to stay in the limelight." He predicted the show wouldn't be interesting because his daughter was too tense to improvise and be an entertaining chef personality: "Everything she says is pre-planned and rehearsed."

Now "With Love, Meghan" is up for daytime TV's biggest award, and the father of the host reportedly wants to congratulate the daughter he criticized. This alone won't be enough to help the "Suits" actor reconcile with her dad, but it might at least be a baby step toward a truce.