Western Mail

‘Thomas Markle, I was told by his family, would hate nothing more than to have the eyes of the world upon him when he walks Meghan down the aisle’

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IN THE two years since his daughter’s relationsh­ip with Prince Harry emerged, there had been more reported sightings of Bigfoot than there had of Meghan Markle’s father.

While the American actress grew to become one of the most photograph­ed women in the world, Thomas Markle was an elusive, almost mythical, gentle giant of a man whose love of fame could not have been more opposite to his daughter’s.

The royal bride-to-be craves the camera lens, whereas her 73-yearold father cast himself as a shy, intensely private man with an allergy to publicity, until late last year when he finally emerged from his Mexican bolthole.

In December, I travelled to the quiet seaside coastal village where he lives hoping to speak to him about his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry.

Respecting his home, I approached him in the nearby town’s high street, handed over a congratula­tory bottle of champagne and asked him about Meghan’s big day.

In a soft voice, belying his size, he told me how he would “love” to walk Meghan down the aisle before adding “out of respect for the palace, I cannot speak further”.

The encounter led to his daughter, Samantha, accusing me – in her words a “Prince Harry look-alike” – of “ambushing” her dad.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Our meeting was nothing but cordial, even jovial at times, but it also left me feeling distinctly sorry for him.

In the months when I saw him again, he gave the impression of a lonely, ageing man, the kind you want to sit and chat with so that they have the interactio­n we all crave.

Last week, the question everyone had been asking about him, was finally answered.

Despite his awkwardnes­s in front of crowds, he was to give Meghan away on Saturday.

But now, after it was discovered he had conspired with the paparazzi to fake pictures, Mr Markle accompanyi­ng his daughter to the altar looks unlikely.

The pictures themselves were comical.

One set showed the pensioner running with weights, while another pictured him reading a book about Britain in a Starbucks.

The most hysterical one of all though was him being measured up for a suit only for it to emerge the ‘tailor’ was a teenager they armed with a tape they supplied themselves.

The former lighting director has gone back and forth over whether to attend the wedding, at one point saying he no longer wanted to embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter after his scam was uncovered.

Of course he has been ground down, no doubt with the lure of money, by the relentless pursuit of photograph­ers.

But surely he must have feared the scam would one day be revealed and that he risked exposing the fact the image he had portrayed to the world was nothing more than a sham.

On a human level, it is hard not to feel some sort of compassion for a man who had sought a life of reclusive solitude, but now finds himself at the centre of the biggest celebrity news story in the world.

Thomas Markle’s life, like those of many others close to Meghan, changed beyond recognitio­n the day she decided to marry her prince.

The harsh truth however, is that despite everything, he has revealed himself to be both woefully naïve and shockingly greedy.

The developmen­t will especially hurt Meghan because so many of her other family members have already behaved like the worst kind of shameful, flawed misfits in the run-up to her marriage.

Thomas Markle, I was told by his family, would hate nothing more than to have the eyes of the world upon him when he walks Meghan down the aisle.

He could well have his wish if he does not attend, and reports that he is having heart surgery this week seem to confirm he won’t.

But long after he’s spent the paparazzi’s shilling, what Markle will really be left with is a daughter and son-in-law who will mistrust him forever more.

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 ??  ?? Meghan and Prince Harry’s wedding on Saturday has been overshadow­ed by whether or not her father will now attend
Meghan and Prince Harry’s wedding on Saturday has been overshadow­ed by whether or not her father will now attend
 ??  ?? Meghan’s father Thomas Markle pictured in Mexico
Meghan’s father Thomas Markle pictured in Mexico

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