The Thomas Markle Royal Wedding Drama, Fully Explained
The Internet is focused on three things this week: Yanny, Laurel, and Thomas Markle. The first two are tied to a viral audio phenomenon, but the last is the star of some pretty intense royal wedding drama.
Thomas Markle, if you somehow don’t know, is Meghan Markle’s father. He lives in Mexico, and it’s unclear how close he is with Meghan. Some reports say they’re estranged; others contest they’re on good terms. Regardless, Thomas scored an invite to her wedding to Prince Harry, taking place this Saturday, May 19. And what’s more: He was going to walk Meghan down the aisle.
That doesn’t seem to be happening anymore, though. According to a new report from TMZ, Thomas is having heart surgery on Wednesday (May 16), and the recovery time overlaps with Meghan’s nuptials. This development, however, is just one chapter in the operatic saga that is Thomas Markle and the Royal Wedding. If you’re just now checking in to it all, don’t bounce from this page.
Below, you’ll find a timeline of everything that’s unfolded over the past week. Brace yourselves, because this story will probably give you whiplash.
May 4: Kensington Palace announces Thomas will walk Meghan down the aisle. The palace issued a statement that said, “Mr. Markle will walk his daughter down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel. Ms. Markle is delighted to have her parents by her side on this important and happy occasion.” The statement also revealed that Thomas and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, would arrive in the U.K. the week of the wedding, allowing time for Prince Harry’s immediate family to meet them.
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May 12: The Daily Mail reports that viral photos of Thomas prepping for the wedding are fake. Last month, some photographs of Meghan’s father reading a picture book about Great Britain and looking up Prince Harry at an Internet café went viral. Turns out, those were allegedly staged. The Daily Mail published a story on Saturday (May 12) that posited Thomas worked with a paparazzi agency to set up the pics. Thomas explained to TMZ that he did this in attempt to “recast” his image after photographers “ambushed” him several times and took “unflattering” shots of him.
May 14: Thomas tells TMZ he’s decided not to attend the royal wedding. After the paparazzi photo scandal broke, Meghan’s dad reportedly spoke to TMZ directly, telling the outlet that the staged photos embarrassed him and he’s dropping out of the wedding to avoid causing Meghan or the royal family any further grief. In this interview, Thomas also mentioned he’d suffered a heart attack the previous week, but that wasn’t why he was backing out of the wedding. This was all because of the staged pics.
Later, Kensington Palace released a statement about the situation. “This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” a palace spokesman said. “She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”
May 15: Thomas has a change of heart and says he wants to attend the wedding. In a second interview with TMZ, Thomas said Meghan had contacted him about the paparazzi photos and their pleasant chat changed his mind about ditching the wedding. “I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,” Thomas reportedly told TMZ. His only contingency, though, was his health. He had to get the OK from his doctors to travel after his heart attack.
May 15: Thomas reveals he’s having heart surgery and can’t attend Meghan’s big day. Just a few hours after saying he wanted to go to the royal wedding, Thomas flip-flopped for a third time and said he’s out. The reason, this time, is health-related. In yet another chat with TMZ, Thomas said doctors scheduled his heart surgery for Wednesday, May 16, leaving him physically unable to fly out to London for Meghan’s nuptials.
And there you have it—for now. Truthfully, we won’t know for sure if Thomas will attend the royal wedding or not until the actual royal wedding. Lucky for us, it’s just a few days away.
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