The drama surrounding Meghan Markle’s family seems to be escalating as we approach the highly-anticipated royal wedding this weekend.
Recent reports claim that Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, who was expected to walk his daughter down the aisle, has changed his mind about attending the wedding. The 73-year-old has reportedly cited 2 reasons for not showing up at Prince Harry and Meghan’s upcoming nuptials.
Mr Markle insisted that he suffered a heart attack – brought on by stress – 6 days ago. After encountering episodes of chest pains, he checked himself into a hospital. Another reason was due to a fallout after he was caught staging paparazzi photos after being paid by a photo agency.
The elderly man also said that he doesn’t want to run the risk of embarrassing his daughter or the royal family any further. Thomas has been struggling to cope with the attention ever since the engagement news broke. He thought that accepting the money from the paparazzi agency was harmless and would recast him in a better light.
Sadly, things took a turn for the worst.
He agreed to a deal of staging pictures of him being measured for a wedding suit. Another snapshot showed him sitting in an internet cafe while pretending to look at a news story about his daughter and Prince Harry. Some of those fake photos also showed him exercising to get in shape for the big day.
Insiders said that the royal family was blindsided by the news. Although Kensington Palace did not confirm whether Thomas would be skipping the wedding, a spokesperson said, “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.”
There is no official confirmation yet, but many believe that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, may walk her daughter down the aisle instead.
Sources: Daily Mail (1)(2), TMZ.
