Meghan Markle's father has publicly released handwritten notes that she wrote to him last summer.

In the notes, Meghan says that she doesn't understand why he is choosing to cause her pain and begs him to stop exploiting her relationship with Prince Harry. Thomas's relationship with his daughter became strained in the run-up to her wedding in May after he staged paparazzi photographs. He dropped out of the wedding party with days to go and has claimed since that Meghan won't speak with him. The notes, dated August 2018, have been published in The Sun and paint a different picture. They show how upset Meghan is over their rift and her dad speaking to the press.

"Daddy, "It is with a heavy heart that I write this, not understanding why you have chosen to take this path, turning a blind eye to the pain you're causing. "Your actions have broken my heart into a million pieces. “You have manufactured such unnecessary and unwarranted pain, but by making the choice not to tell the truth as you are puppeteered in this. Something I will never understand. “If you love me… allow us to live our lives in peace. Please stop lying, please stop creating so much pain, please stop exploiting my relationship with my husband.”

Meghan directly addressed the CCTV footage which proved that Thomas's paparazzi photos were staged.

"We all rallied around to support and protect you from day 1, and this you know. "So to hear about the attacks you’ve made at Harry in the press, who was nothing but patient, kind, and understanding with you, is perhaps the most painful of all. “The only thing that helps me sleep at night is the faith and knowing that a lie can’t live forever. “I believed you, trusted you and told you I loved you. The next morning the CCTV footage came out.”

She criticised him for believing the lies told by her half-sister Samantha, whom she says she "barely knows" and also revealed that she learned he had had a heart attack through the media.

"The week of the wedding to hear about you having a heart attack through a tabloid was horrifying. “I called and texted . . . I begged you to accept help - we sent someone to your home . . . and instead of speaking to me to accept this or any help, you stopped answering your phone and chose to only speak to tabloids. “You haven’t reached out to me since the week of our wedding, and while you claim you have no way of contacting me, my phone number has remained the same. This you know. “No texts, no missed calls, no outreach from you — just more global interviews you’re being paid to do and say harmful and hurtful things that are untrue.”