Princess Adeline, Duchess of Clarence

Chapter Forty: The Problem of Thomas Markle

16th of May 2018 - York House

The last few days had been a whirlwind for the royal family, the news that Thomas Markle had collaborated with Rayner had left the Palace embarrassed while Harry and Meghan had been furious at the betrayal. 

Meghan had made repeated calls to her father, all had been unanswered and she had felt mortified by her inability to tell the Palace officials what was happening and she blamed the media as irresponsible, harmful, ruthless and malevolent in all of this. 

There had been texts that morning from Thomas stating that he was sorry and offering to make a public apology for his actions to both her and Harry and to spare any further embarrassment he had offered not to attend the wedding.

It was this that sparked an outburst of calls from London to Rosarito, New Mexico after months of silence and Harry's continued failure to even meet his future father-in-law that had led to this moment. 

It was Harry that had reached out first, advising Thomas not to make a public apology as that would only make things worse and Thomas had confirmed that he would be attending the wedding. 

Soon afterwards there had been another phone call, this time from Jason Knauf stating a public apology would be advisable after all which had left Thomas feeling even more confused, trapped in isolation were he festered without a sensible advisor to instruct him. 

It would be the last that Thomas Markle would hear from the palace team that had been assembled for Harry and Meghan; left out in the cold without anyone to turn to. 

It was later that very day that Thomas Markle felt chest pains, the second set he'd had in recent months where he felt dizzy with palpitations just as he had with his previous heart attack. 

A friend had driven him across the border to a hospital in California but while he had been waiting for his friend to pick him up a man announced by phone call that he was to drive Thomas to Los Angeles airport for his flight in two days' time and he would be picking him up soon. 

Thomas had declined the offer stating that he needed to cancel, that he was going to hospital and wouldn't be able to make it. 

Before the admission in the hospital, he had spoken with TMZ to confirm that he had co-operated with Rayner as a way to 'rehabilitate' his image. 

His last message to Meghan before he entered the hospital was to apologize to her saying that he couldn't travel to London for the wedding.

His refusal to get on the plane had made Harry and Meghan frantic, they sent a series of texts to Thomas telling him that it was important that they spoke to him right that second and they weren't mad at him, just trying to help him like they always did. 

That speaking to the press would only make the situation worse than it already was, with the eight-hour time difference between London and California, messages and more confusion dominated 16th of May. 

That morning Meghan had woken to the news on TMZ that her father had suffered a heart attack and had been hospitalised the day before. 

However, Meghan doubted that this was actually the truth and she didn't believe that his hospitalising was genuine. 

More texts followed, Meghan telling her father that she was concerned for his health and safety, that she had made every measure to protect him but she wasn't sure what more her and Harry could do for him. 

They offered to send security back to Rosarito to protect him while he was in hospital in California was a rather odd move but Thomas declined the offer since he would be in hospital for a few more days.