It was a shock for us all when we learned that Meghan Markle’s father would not attend the May 19th royal wedding. In a June 18th interview with Good Morning Britain, Thomas Markle said his daughter cried when she heard that her father needed heart surgery and as a result, would not be able to walk her down the aisle.
“Meghan cried, I’m sure — she did cry. And [she and Harry] both said ‘Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you.’ They said the important thing is that I get better,” Thomas told the hosts of Good Morning Britain.
Thomas noted that, during his recovery, he watched his daughter wed Prince Harry from a California bed and breakfast. He said he regrets simply being “a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking [Meghan] down the aisle.”
Those who watched the event will remember that Meghan walked herself partway down the aisle. She was then escorted by Prince Charles to the altar. Thomas told Good Morning Britain that he couldn’t have asked for a better replacement than Harry’s father and expressed his gratitude for Prince Charles.
You can watch a piece of Thomas’s morning interview below:
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Before ultimately deciding on not attending his daughter’s wedding, Thomas had admitted to staging paparazzi photos. It was an embarrassing moment for both himself and the royal family, but Meghan and Harry were “very forgiving” and still wanted him to attend the wedding. Harry had even enlisted his military friend to take care of Thomas when he arrived in the U.K.
But Thomas said this unfortunate incident with the paparazzi induced enough stress to cause a heart attack.
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“She was so beautiful walking down that aisle, and so proud, and so gorgeous,” Thomas said to GMB. “I was very proud. I couldn’t have seen a better moment in my life.”
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We’re glad that despite Thomas’s absence, the royal couple was surrounded with love and support on their special day.