メーガン妃の父親、娘からは「存在しない人扱い」と英紙に苦言

【ロンドンＡＦＰ＝時事】英王室のメーガン妃の実父トーマス・マークルさん（75）が、英紙の取材に、メーガン妃からまるで彼女の人生に存在しない人物のように扱われていると訴えた。メーガン妃がすべて自費で大学を卒業したと語ったのも「うそ」だという。（写真はメーガン妃）
　メキシコ在住のトーマスさんは、１日付の大衆朝刊紙デーリー・メールに掲載されたインタビューで、２０１８年に行われたヘンリー王子とメーガン妃の結婚式を健康上の理由で欠席して以来、夫妻からは何の音沙汰もないと語った。今年５月に生まれた孫のアーチーちゃんの写真を送ってほしいとの願いも拒絶されているという。
　「メーガンがアーチーを身ごもっていたからこれまで黙っていた。だが、娘夫婦と広報担当者たちは私を娘の人生に存在しなかったもの扱いし続けている。だから今、声を上げているんだ」（トーマスさん）
　メーガン妃は昨年、訪問先のフィジーで、米国で大学の学費をすべて自分で支払ったという苦労話を披露した。しかし、トーマスさんはこれに激しく反論。「残念ながら、それは完全に虚偽だ。娘の学費はびた一文まで私が支払った。その証拠に銀行の支払い明細書だってある」
　さらにトーマスさんは続ける。「こんなうそにも、中傷されて娘たちの人生から排除されるのにもうんざりだ」
　トーマスさんは「私は常に父親としての責任を果たしてきた」と述べ、大学の学費は全て自分で支払ったというメーガン妃の発言は「私に対する侮辱だ」と訴えた。
　その一方で、トーマスさんは「私が娘を愛していないと思われているようだが、私は彼女を心から愛している」と述べ、「写真立てにアーチーの写真を入れて飾ることができれば、何もいらない」と付け加えた。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2019/09/02-11:44）

Thomas Markle, Meghan Markle's estranged father, has criticised being made a ghost in her life -- while accusing his daughter of telling lies about how she financed her university education.
The 75-year-old, who lives in Mexico, said in a British newspaper interview published Sunday that he had not heard from the Duchess of Sussex or her husband Prince Harry since skipping their 2018 wedding.
He told the Daily Mail he had hoped to receive a photograph of his royal grandson Archie, born earlier this year, but had so far been rebuffed.
There was never any problem between Meghan and me until recently, said Thomas Markle, who missed walking his daughter down the aisle at her Windsor Castle nuptials due to health problems and then became embroiled in a paparazzi photo scandal.
I've stayed quiet because Meghan was pregnant with Archie but I'm speaking out now because they and their PR people are continuing to ghost me out of her life, he added.
Sometimes I get the feeling people think I don't love my daughter.
I do love her very much. I would love nothing more than to put a picture of Archie in a frame.
He added he was disappointed not to have seen his grandson Archie.
The duchess's estranged father said he had made efforts to reconcile with Meghan, but so far to no avail.
I sent her a card via her financial adviser in LA but received no acknowledgement, he added.
I have no idea if she got it.
In the lengthy interview with the British paper, Thomas Markle also hit out at claims Meghan made during a royal visit to Fiji last year that she had personally paid her way through college in the United States.
I'm sorry but that is completely untrue. I paid every penny of her tuition and I have the bank statements to prove it, he said.
I'm sick of the lies. I'm sick of being vilified and shut out of their lives.
I always upheld my responsibilities as a father. Meghan's comments about paying her way through college are offensive to me, he said.