Meghan Markle's dad has denied claims that someone else used his phone to send his daughter a heart-breaking text days before her wedding to Prince Harry.
In the third episode of the bombshell Netflix series Harry & Meghan, released in New Zealand on Thursday night, Meghan claimed her father's phone had been compromised.
When talking about the drama that unfolded in the days leading up to her 2018 wedding - which saw her dad Thomas pose for staged paparazzi photos and then suffer two heart attacks - Meghan said she found out her dad wasn't coming through the tabloid website TMZ. He was supposed to walk her down the aisle at Windsor Castle but ended up in a New Mexico hospital after his heart attack.
In the Netflix series, Meghan said she was "calling, calling, calling, and the world is watching this drama play out". At the same time during the documentary, texts between her and her dad were shown on screen.
One sent from her phone said: "I've been reaching out to you all weekend but you're not taking any of our calls or replying to any texts… Do you need help?… What hospital are you at?"
Another, sent on May 17, 2018, also from Meghan's phone said: "Please can I ask that you stop talking to any press… You haven't returned any of our 20+ calls since we all spoke on Saturday morning; which only adds to the hurt you've been causing. We aren't angry but we do really need to speak to u. Love M and H."
Thomas' text in response was then shown on screen, and said: "I've done nothing to hurt you Meghan or anyone else I know nothing about 20 phone calls I'm sorry my heart attack is there [sic] any inconvenience for you."
It was this response that led Meghan to believe his phone had been "compromised". She said the giveaway was he always called her "Meg", rather than "Meghan".
"It was really weird. You know how people text, right? My dad used a lot of emojis and a lot of ellipses and dot, dot, dot, and this was just the opposite," Meghan said. "And it called me Meghan. I was like, 'He's never called me Meghan any day that I've lived on this planet'. And I was like, 'That's not my dad'.
"So then we knew that his phone had been compromised."
But Thomas, who is still recovering from a stroke that happened in May, has claimed he was behind the text in question.
"I wrote every word that I sent from that phone which is still in my possession," he told the Daily Mail.
He said for Meghan to claim his phone was compromised simply is "not true".
"I wrote that text as I lay in a hospital bed after having had two heart attacks and having stents put in."
Thomas went further and said he has used Meghan's full name before "when things are serious".
"It's not true to say I have never used her full name. I use it when I am serious, when there are serious issues involved," he said.
"I wasn't angry. I was in hospital. They never once asked how I was doing. When I got their messages I was upset. I thought I didn't deserve those messages."
Harry, who has never formally met Thomas, admitted in the Netflix series that he feels partially responsible for Thomas and Meghan's estranged relationship.
"It's incredibly sad, what happened. She had a father before this and now she doesn't have a father," he said.
"And I shouldered that, because if Meg wasn't with me then her dad would still be her dad."
The final three episodes of Harry & Meghan will be released on Netflix on December 15.
