Despite all of the drama surrounding the new Duchess of Sussex’s family, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding went off without a hitch.
A-listers including Oprah, Amal and George Clooney and David and Victoria Beckham filled Windsor Castle to watch the bride and groom wed, alongside Markle’s mother and Suits co-stars.
However, there was one person notably absent from the historic day: Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, who couldn’t attend the wedding due to health issues.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” Meghan confirmed in a statement prior to the big day. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”
The palace then revealed that Meghan would walk part of the aisle alone, before Prince Charles would step in to accompany her in her father’s absence.
Following seeing the ceremony on TV, Thomas Markle released a statement about his daughter and how he wishes he could have been there to see it firsthand.
“My baby looks beautiful and she looks very happy,” he reportedly told TMZ. “I wish I were there and I wish them all my love and all happiness.”
Earlier in the week, Meghan’s father admitted to conspiring with a photographer to pose for a series of staged paparazzi photos. He told TMZ he didn’t want to “embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter,” so wouldn’t walk her down the aisle.
He also shared that he had suffered a heart attack six days earlier due to the stresses of the situation. Thomas later confirmed that though he would still like to accompany his daughter, his doctor wouldn’t let him fly from the US to the UK.
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