Thomas Markle reveals intimate, never-before-seen photos of Meghan

Meghan still has a close relationship with her mother, Doria Ragland. Photo / Channel 5 UK

Thomas Markle has revealed intimate home videos shot of a young Meghan from when she moved to live with her father at age 11 in Los Angeles.

Videos from May 1993 show a young Meghan learning to work a camera, fishing and riding a horse.

He described the years she lived with him between age 11 and 16 as "my happiest years."

Thomas said Meghan was born by C-section and he got to "hold her first", saying she became the "most special thing in my life".

"When she was born I couldn't have been a happier man," he said.

"I was just knocked out by that child. She was just beautiful and I couldn't put her down.

"I loved her very much... Still do."

Markle said that when his daughter was born, he couldn't have been happier. Photo / Instagram

He showed photos of a young Meghan on a park bench eating ice cream, as well as pictures of her as a baby being held by her mother, Doria Ragland, who she still shares a close relationship with.

Meghan's dad also opened up about what happened ahead of the royal wedding in May 2018, when he was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle but had a heart attack days before the nuptials.

He had also been outed accepting money for set-up paparazzi shots in the lead up, which is said to be the cause of their divide.

"Meghan and Harry said they would protect me. Their protection was saying 'don't talk to anyone'," Thomas said.

"The royal family never sent anyone here to give me advice or do anything for me. I thought the natural thing would be to give me some kind of advice or guidance ... Not that I need the attention but I might need the help.

"Harry knowing what his mother went through, should be really concerned about what's happening to me ... He must have had some idea what I was going through.

"Just to say 'don't' talk to anybody' I have to say I'm very offended by that."

The photos and videos show a young Meghan riding a horse and fishing. Photo / Channel 5 UK

Thomas retold the moment that Meghan phoned him out of the blue to say she had a new boyfriend who was a Prince – Prince Harry – to be exact, and the pair spoke about it on the phone for a few minutes.

"She was happy and that made me happy. But very shortly after the press started looking for me," he added.

Thomas also described his daughter's rise in Hollywood, from her being "embarrassed" to be on Deal or No Deal, to scoring a prime role in Suits in 2011 which she had described as "the dream."

He said she had given him gifts of money, which the pair had rowed over in the past.

Thomas said his relationship with Doria in LA meant a lot of people thought "she was the housekeeper" which "wasn't fair" because she was black.

He said he thought she was "going through the same trouble with the royals".

"She always looks scared. She looks like the deer in the headlights.

"The idea at the wedding, sitting her alone was the dumbest thing on earth."

The ex Suits actress' former drama teacher Gigi Perreau was also interviewed, saying she was "extremely proud of Meghan".

Meghan's half-brother Thomas Jr was interviewed, saying that his sister needed to look out for her family. Photo / Channel 5 UK

When asked if she thought her former student would miss acting, she said: "All I can do is laugh. Are you kidding? She's got the biggest acting job of any human being in the world. From the moment she wakes up in the morning until that door closes … She's out there being the Duchess of Sussex and that's a big role. That's a huge role."

Meghan's half-brother Thomas Jr, 53, was also interviewed saying his sister needed to "look out for her family" who "don't have millions in the bank like her and Harry."

The Markle family have been a source of tabloid headlines and commentary in Britain ever since Meghan's entry into the royal family.

The lead up to the couple's wedding in May 2018 was dominated by fallout from staged paparazzi pictures conducted by her father, followed by the news he would be unable to travel to the wedding after he had a heart attack.

Now, the father and daughter could face-off in court in a case Meghan filed against the Mail on Sunday after it published the contents of a private letter she wrote to her father.