Meghan Markle’s Father Thomas Markle Says His Daughter Has Wanted Children for a “Long Time”

They’ve got babies on the brain, apparently! Prince Harry and Meghan Markle tied the knot on May 19, and now, Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, has revealed that his daughter has “wanted children for a long time.”

In a new interview with Good Morning Britain, Thomas — who ended up not attending Meghan’s nuptials last month — shared he thinks the two will become parents “sooner or later.” He said, “When she met Harry she spoke about how much she loved him and so there has to be a child making somewhere soon. I don’t think there is a stork in the air yet but I think it will happen sooner or later.”

This isn’t the first time someone close to Meghan has spoken to the idea of her becoming a mom. Meghan’s former friend and agent, Gina Nelthorpe-Cowne, opened up in the documentary Harry and Meghan: A Love Story about how Meghan once told her she saw children in her future. “She said to me, ‘I would absolutely love to have children, and I can’t wait to be a mother,'” Gina said of their 2016 conversation in the Cayman Islands, which took place right around the time she met Harry.

Luckily for Meghan, it was previously reported that Harry also wants to eventually start a family as well. “My sources are saying that Prince Harry, particularly, is very keen to start a family pretty soon after the royal wedding [on May 19],” royal expert Katie Nicholl, who wrote Harry: Life, Loss, and Love, told Entertainment Tonight before the nuptials. “He’s made no secret about wanting children.”

In Harry and Meghan’s first official interview soon after they announced their engagement in November, the couple opened up about having children together. During the BBC interview, reporter Mishal Husain simply said “Children?” to Meghan and Harry (the smiles that came across their faces afterward were priceless). Harry then jokingly replied, “Not currently, no.” He then became more serious. “No, of course, you know, I think one step at a time,” he continued. “Hopefully we’ll start a family in the near future.”

In the past, Harry has expressed his desire to have children — and even opened up about his bond with his nephew, Prince George, 4, and niece, Princess Charlotte, 3. “The reason I am now fifth [in line for the throne] is because of my nephew and niece and I could never wish them away. They are the most amazing things ever,” he once said. “I am determined to have a relatively normal life and if I am lucky enough to have children they can have one too. We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities but instead use our role for good.”

In fact, Nicholl thinks Will is actually the reason Harry wants to have kids. “I think that moment [for Harry] really kicked in when his brother, Prince William, of course, settled down with Kate Middleton,” Nicholl said. “That has definitely gotten Prince Harry pretty broody.”

Harry also once told ABC News in 2012 that he was waiting for the right woman to come along. “I’ve longed for kids since I was very, very young,” he said at the time. “I’m waiting to find the right person. Someone who is willing to take on the job.”

Luckily for Harry, he found Meghan. “Meghan is very doting with children,” Nicholl added. “She is very maternal and she was thrilled to meet George and Charlotte. I think one of the lovely things, anecdotes that I discovered [while writing] the book was, it was actually a moment involving children when Meghan really fell for Prince Harry.”

And that explains why he wanted his brunette beauty to meet his niece and nephew. “The reason he wanted Meghan to meet Prince George and Princess Charlotte was so she could see that — this would be hopefully replicated by them, that they would go on to have children,” Nicholl said. “That you marry into the royal family, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a regular family with cute children, and here are George and Charlotte to show that that can happen. That was really important to him.”

Meghan also expressed in their engagement interview how important family is to her as well. “His family has been so welcoming,” she said of Harry’s brood. “I have [met several family members] on his mother’s side it’s been really important to me too. The family has been great and in the past year and a half, they’ve made me feel a part of, not just the institution, but of a part of the family.” We know Harry and Meghan will have a beautiful family of their own someday, too!

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