Meghan Markle's Father Labeled 'Deadbeat Dad' After Latest Attack on Duchess

Meghan Markle's father has faced a backlash following a TV appearance in which he accused his daughter of disowning her family.

One novelist accused Thomas Markle of gaslighting "the hell out of" his daughter over his promise to appear on TV every month Meghan started speaking to him again.

Markle Sr. said she asked him to stop talking to his two other children—Meghan's half siblings Thomas Markle Jr. and Samantha Markle—but he could not do it.

The 77-year-old told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I've made it quite clear that until I hear from her, until she does speak to me, that I will continue to do this.

"I will do a show at least a month, if I can get it through, and eventually sooner or later she'll start talking to me. This is way too childish; this is kind of silly, it's time to talk with each other, we're family."

Supporters of the duchess in the U.K. accused him of emotional blackmail.

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a prominent U.K. anti-racism activist, said: "Thomas Markle must be desperately broke...again. What a deadbeat dad attacking his child for profit & notoriety. Shameless. Take lessons from Doria pls. Meghan Markle is right to cut him off from her kids' lives.

"#GMB must be shamelessly desperate for rating—she isn't newsworthy."

Mos-Shogbamimu was among those to challenge Piers Morgan on Good Morning Britain after he accused Meghan of lying in an Oprah Winfrey interview.

Alex Beresford, an occasional presenter on that show, also challenged the stance, leading to Morgan walking off set.

On Tuesday, he said: "I don't understand Thomas Markle's motivation? He says he wants to make up with his daughter, which I'm sure he does, but each time he does an interview he slates her and 'reveals' something new, then expects Meghan to let him back in. It hasn't worked thus far."

Claire Allan, a novelist from Northern Ireland, added: "I see #GMB is allowing Thomas Markle to gaslight the hell out of Meghan Markle again. What TM is doing amounts to coercive control and #GMB are facilitating the ongoing emotional abuse towards Meghan Markle. A loving father does not go on TV to badmouth his child."

Markle Sr. told GMB: "There are some reasons that she got upset with me, and one was that she thought I was giving too much attention to her brother and sister. They were step [sic] brother and step sister but nonetheless she wanted me to stop talking to them and I couldn't.

"We're at a point where I think both us, we should grow up, talk, make up for the sake of the children now and for ourselves.

"This is ridiculous, it's been going on for almost four years. It's crazy."

Meghan and her father have not spoken since her May 2018 wedding when in the days before he was caught staging pictures with the paparazzi for money.

He also suffered two heart attacks and pulled out of the ceremony needing hospital treatment.

Samantha Markle and Thomas Markle Jr. have both launched public attacks on the duchess.