Report: Markle’s dad might have to miss royal wedding
LONDON — Thomas Markle spent a career in Hollywood, but nothing prepared him for this.
The father of royal bride-to-be Meghan Markle has been quoted as saying he will not attend his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry this week after suffering a reported heart attack amid the intense media interest around the nuptials.
The retired television cinematographer had been expected to walk his actress daughter down the aisle Saturday at Windsor Castle’s St. George’s Chapel. But celebrity news website TMZ reported Tuesday that Markle would undergo heart surgery and miss the wedding.
Kensington Palace on Monday issued a statement calling for “understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.” The palace did not say whether wedding plans had actually changed.
The palace issued the statement hours after TMZ first reported Monday that the elder Markle decided to stay away from the event. The website said his decision was due to tongue-clucking over the mocked up wedding-preparation photographs he posed for at the invitation of a paparazzi agency.
But TMZ followed up early Tuesday with Thomas Markle saying he did want to come, if doctors released him from a hospital where he was undergoing tests after a heart attack.
“I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,” the news site quoted him as saying.
Meghan Markle’s older half sister said their father, 73, was under an “unbelievable” amount of stress because of media intrusion.
Samantha Markle told the TV show “Good Morning Britain” on Tuesday that journalists “rented the house next to him in Mexico, four or five of them. He can’t open his blinds.”