Meghan Markle says Harry will be ‘the best dad’ as Prince jokes ‘there’s a big baby in her’ at armed forces ceremony

MEGHAN Markle gushed how Prince Harry will be the "best dad" at an awards ceremony tonight - a day after it emerged she wrote to her estranged father begging him to stop "victimising" her.

At a reception before tonight's Endeavour Fund Awards ceremony Harry had pointed at Meghan's bump and joked "there's a big baby in there!"

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were guests of honour at the ceremony to celebrate the achievements of wounded, injured or sick servicemen and women who have excelled in a sporting or adventure challenge.

Cradling her baby bump the heavily pregnant duchess, who wore a Givenchy outfit, met nominees alongside her husband at the historic Drapers' Hall in the City of London.

Harry and Meghan chaired the judging panel which decided who would receive the three awards - recognising achievement, celebrating excellence, and the third named in memory of adventurer Henry Worsley, who died trying to complete the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic.

It comes after Meghan authorised five of her close friends to speak anonymously to a US magazine to counter the "global bullying" directed at her.

One of the five unnamed women told People magazine: "Meg has silently sat back and endured the lies and untruths."

Another friend said the duchess had penned a message to her estranged father Thomas Markle after she married Harry in May last year, pleading with him to stop his public criticisms.

MEGHAN'S HEARTFELT PLEA TO HER DAD

She made a heartfelt plea for him to stop victimising her after milking her fame with a string of public interviews.

And in an attempt to build bridges, she told him she would "always love him".

But she was devastated when he responded by asking for a photo shoot with her.

Thomas missed his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry last May after it was revealed he had staged paparazzi pictures.

A pal said: "After the wedding she wrote him a letter.

"She's like 'Dad, I'm so heartbroken. I love you. I have one father. Please stop victimising me through the media so we can repair our relationship.'

"He writes her a really long letter in return, and he closes it by requesting a photo op with her.

"She feels like, 'That's the opposite of what I'm saying. I'm telling you I don't want to communicate through the media, and you're asking me to communicate through the media. Did you hear anything I said?'

"It's almost like they're ships passing. He knows how to get in touch with her. It's super-painful because Meg was always so dutiful.

'STAND UP AGAINST THE GLOBAL BULLYING'

"I think she will always feel genuinely devastated by what he's done. At the same time, because she's a daughter, she has a lot of sympathy for him."

The close friends spoke anonymously to US magazine People after Thomas made a string of public outbursts about his royal daughter and Meghan's half-sister Samantha cashed in on their "non-existent" relationship.

The Sun understands the pals spoke to People with Meghan's approval, and her press team at Kensington Palace were kept in the dark.

One friend said: "Meg has sat silently back and endured the lies and untruths.

"We want to stand up against the global bullying we are seeing and speak the truth about who our friend, a mother-to-be, really is.

"We worry about what this is doing to her and the baby. It's wrong to put anyone under this level of emotional trauma, let alone when they're pregnant."

The Endeavour Fund is a body set up by the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex to fund inspiring projects aiding the recovery of veterans.

Since its launch in 2012, the Endeavour Fund has supported 86 different projects that have helped more than 5,000 wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women.

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