Latest update: Saturday 9 December 2017, 12:25pm

Meghan Markle kept her long distance relationship with Prince Harry going by sending regular text messages, it has been revealed. 

They communicated via the medium of SMS in order to keep in contact while they were apart, as well as using FaceTime daily.

Prince Harry is also said to be a fan of modern texting conventions, such as using gifs and emojis, according to E! News.

During most of their one and a half year long relationship, Meghan was often away filming the television legal drama Suits, at the location in Toronto.

Saturday 9 December, 9:30am

Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle – whose daughter is to marry Prince Harry – has said he would “love” to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.

Thomas, 73, who is a former television lighting director, added he was “delighted” for the royal couple, who are due to marry in May 2018 at a ceremony at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle after a year and a half of dating.

“Yes. I'd love to. I'm very pleased,” he told the Daily Mirror when asked if he would like to give the 36 year old actress away. 

A father “giving away” a bride is a tradition from when women were their father’s property until they got married, and then became the property of their husband. 

However, he remained tight lipped on any other matters relating to the wedding, saying: “I'm sorry. You know I can't talk."

Thomas, along with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland – who he became divorced from in 1988 – released a joint statement upon their daughter’s engagement to Harry.

“We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry,” they wrote in the statement released by Clarence House.

“Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person,” it continued.

“To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents.

"We wish them a lifetime of happiness and are very excited for their future together."

In 2016, Meghan wrote a heartfelt Instagram directed towards her dad on Father’s Day: “Happy Father’s Day, daddy. I’m still your buckaroo.

“To this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world.”

She also thanked her dad for her “work ethic” in the post, as he is known to have introduced the actress to her first experience of television sets in his work as a lighting director.

However, a recently resurfaced video cast doubt on whether the pair are close enough to honour this age-old tradition.

In the revealing video Meghan Markle spoke about her father, while in a car with her friend Ninanki Priddy.

Driving past her father’s house in Los Angeles, an 18 year old Meghan said to her friend: “We aren’t going to go in there…we aren’t on the best of terms.”