Meghan Markle's father Thomas sheds tears on 81st birthday

Thomas Markle, estranged father of Prince Harry's wife Meghan, failed to convince his daughter to make amends with him during his final years.

The former lighting director has spent another year without contact from his youngest daughter as he celebrated his 81st birthday on Friday with tears in his eyes.

Thomas' milestone was overshadowed by the continuing estrangement from the Duchess of Sussex and his royal grandchildren.

"The special day of Meghan's dad was full of mixed emotions as he missed his daughter and grandchildren on his day," an insider has claimed.

They went on: "Thomas knows that life is unpredictable and his advanced age adds to his fear that he will never see the royal kids, Archie and Lilibet."

Thomas has made several attempts to make amends with the former Suits star over the year, but failed to regain her sympathy and love. 

The father-of-three marked his milestone event just days after Meghan shared a cryptic post on Instagram.

In her message, the Duchess wrote: "Sending birthday love (both near and far) to my ladies," alongside a heart emoji. It was accompanied a video of Meghan preparing gift baskets with As Ever rosé wine.

At the time, it was unclear exactly who she was sending the beverages to, fans speculated the message was intended for Queen Camilla, who was marking her 78th birthday the following day.

However, it turned out the wine was gifted to Meghan's friends, Heather Dorak and Jamie Kern Lima, who confirmed it on social media.

The relationship between Thomas and Meghan remains severed, with no communication between them. He has never met Prince Archie, six, or Princess Lilibet, four, his only grandchildren from his youngest daughter.

The father-daughter due's relationship took surprising turn when Thomas posed for paparazzi photographs ahead of Meghan's wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018. 

The pictures, which showed him being measured for a suit and reading about Britain online, reportedly caused significant embarrassment for the royal family.