Will Meghan Markle’s father skip the royal wedding?

LONDON: Will Meghan Markle’s father be at his daughter’s wedding this Saturday to walk his daughter down the aisle?

It was the subject of fevered speculation among royal watchers on Monday night after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle asked for “understanding” amid claims that Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, won’t be attending the royal wedding on May 19.

Kensington Palace, the official residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, issued a statement late Monday following the allegations that Markle’s father, who lives in Mexico, had pulled out of the wedding. The statement did not confi rm or deny speculation surrounding his attendance.

“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding. She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation,” the statement said.

According to the celebrity news site TMZ, Markle has pulled out of the wedding because he doesn’t want to embarrass his daughter or the royal family. The news website also claimed that he had recently suffered a heart attack. TMZ said that Markle regretted working with a photographer and posing for pictures, which included pictures of Markle getting measured for his wedding suit and another of him looking at pictures of his daughter and future son-in-law. Markle told the website he looked “stupid and hammy.”

The reports of a possible noshow by Markle’s father were splashed across the front pages of several British newspapers on Tuesday.

Markle’s half-sister Samantha said that she was the one to blame for the snaps and that they were intended to portray her father in a positive light.

“The bad press over my father doing staged photos is my fault,” she said, according to tweets seen by the BBC. “The media was unfairly making him look bad so I suggested he do positive photos for his benefit and the benefit of the royal family. We had no idea he would be taken advantage of. It was not for money.”

Earlier this month, palace officials said that Markle’s father and mother, Doria Ragland, would arrive in Britain this week and would spend time with senior royals, including Queen Elizabeth II. Officials also said that on the day of the wedding, Markle’s mother would accompany her in a car ride to Windsor Castle and that Markle’s father would walk his daughter down the aisle at St George’s Chapel. — WPBloomberg

A customer looks at a cardboard cutout of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle overlooking a selection of royal wedding merchandise on display at Ye Olde Kings Head gift shop in Santa Monica, California on May 14 where anything with pictures of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been selling unbeilevably well, according to store manager Dympna Madeley, originally from Luton, who moved to California 23 years ago. The couple, Harry and Meghan, are due to be married on May 19 at Windsor Castle in England. — AFP photo

Pictures of Meghan with her father Thomas Markle. According to the celebrity news site TMZ, Markle has pulled out of the wedding because he doesn’t want to embarrass his daughter or the royal family.