Meghan Markle: Sadly, My Father Will Not Be Attending the Royal Wedding
It’s official: Meghan Markle‘s father, Thomas Markle, isn’t attending the royal wedding.
Meghan released a statement through Kensington Palace on Thursday (May 17) confirming this news. “Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” Meghan said. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”
She continued, “I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
See the message for yourself, below:
https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/997060884034924544
Meghan mentioning Thomas’ health seems to also confirm what TMZ’s been reporting for days: that he had a heart attack last week and had surgery on Wednesday (May 16). Thomas spoke to TMZ on Wednesday, saying that his surgery was successful. “I’m OK,” he said, according to the outlet. “It will take a long time to heal. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited.”
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Meghan’s statement comes after a week of reports surrounding her father. On Saturday (May 12), The Daily Mail published footage that implied Thomas staged paparazzi photos of himself that went viral. After the incident, Thomas told TMZ he was dropping out of his royal wedding duties to avoid embarrassing his daughter and the royal family. However, after speaking to Meghan, he said he had a change of heart and wanted to attend the nuptials. His heart, sadly, is what’s keeping Thomas at home. (Still confused? Here’s a full breakdown of the Thomas Markle drama.)
Thomas was supposed to walk Meghan down the aisle on her big day, so now that position seems to be open. It’s possible her mother, Doria Ragland, will escort Meghan. Who knows, though: Maybe Meghan will just walk herself down the aisle, which would be great, too.
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