Meghan Markle was today forced to confirm that her father will not attend the royal wedding as it emerged she is still ‘tearful’ about the chaos he has caused.
Thomas Markle is in hospital following heart surgery days after he embarrassed his daughter with a series of ‘staged’ paparazzi photographs that threatened to overshadow her big day.
After days of silence Meghan was forced to make an extraordinary and moving statement confirming he will no longer walk her down the aisle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, on Saturday.
She said: ‘Sadly my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health’.
The former Suits star, 36, added: ‘I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday’.
Her poignant words came as thousands watched a wedding rehearsal in Windsor today where soldiers including Harry’s former regiment, the Household Cavalry, marched through the streets.
An Ascot Landau carriage of the type set to carry the couple was also paraded past the castle but Harry and Meghan are at Kensington Palace today with her mother Doria Ragland, who is now expected to give away her daughter.
Preparations for the wedding have been thrown into chaos after Meghan’s father repeatedly changed his mind about attending the event until his ill health made the trip the UK impossible.
Meghan, pictured with her retired father Thomas Markle, 73, in around 2000, says she still cares for her father despite the chaos he has caused ahead of her wedding day
Meghan Markle has described her sadness after revealing her father will not attend her wedding to Prince Harry
Harry and Meghan are said to be heartbroken that Thomas cannot come because of health problems and the scandal of his paparazzi deal
The Ascot Landau carriage set to carry the couple was also paraded empty through the Berkshire town with Harry and Meghan still at Kensington Palace today
Thousands have lined the streets of Windsor today to see the armed forces including the Household Cavalry (pictured) marched through the Berkshire town during a dress rehearsal for the royal wedding
Prince Harry’s bride-to-be, 36, has still only shared texts with Thomas Markle but has told him she loves him and forgives him for the scandal he caused on the eve of the biggest day of her life.
Her father is said to be ‘alone and upset’ in hospital after having three stents put in his heart.
Thomas Markle (pictured at a shop last week) is recovering after he had three stents implanted in arteries after suffering a heart attack at home in Mexico eight days ago and will now not attend the wedding
The 73-year-old has spoken to TMZ journalist Sean Mandell from his bed overnight and he said: ‘Meghan was embarrassed and tearful in private. She is holding up, from what I’ve been told. It has been a tearful and a trying time for her’.
When asked if their relationship can recover he said: ‘I do get the sense he [Thomas] does want to be reunited with Meghan. She’s no stranger to having to deal with hard moments in her life’.
Mr Markle may not be discharged before his daughter’s wedding after he had three stents implanted in arteries following a heart attack at home in Mexico eight days ago.
He said: ‘It will take a long time to heal. I’m okay. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited’.
Today a wedding rehearsal started in Windsor without the bride and groom.
Mr Mandell told Good Morning Britain: ‘She [Meghan] called him Monday when the story first broke. But he did not have his phone on him and then she text him saying she loved him, that she was concerned over his health and bore him no ill will over the controversy of the fake photos.
‘He [Thomas] told us we wanted to be there and had a change of heart on Tuesday after speaking with Meghan over text and he felt he had pulled out prematurely.
‘He had originally felt it would be better for him not to be at the wedding because it would cause further embarrassment, he thought, for the royal family, and for Meghan, which is the last thing he wanted.
‘He realised, I’m a father, and I want to be there for my daughter, and I want to be part of history.Ultimately his health prevented him from being able to do that.
‘But ultimately his health prevented him from doing that’.
He added: ‘Meghan is by all accounts is a very strong women. From what Thomas has told me there’s just love being conveyed there and a gentle approach between them when they speak.’
Charles and Camilla have been pictured leaving Kensington Palace by helicopter today where they are likely to have met Meghan’s mother Doria mother for the first time
On the go: Meghan’s mother Doria was picked up at her California home as she made her way to LAX on Tuesday and has since landed in the UK where she is expected to give her daughter away
‘It’ll take a long time to heal’: Meghan Markle’s father says he’s ‘ok’ after undergoing heart surgery
Thomas Markle (pictured this week) is recovering after he had three stents
Meghan Markle’s father is ‘alone and upset’ in hospital today after undergoing heart surgery.
Thomas Markle is recovering after he had three stents implanted in arteries following a heart attack at home in Mexico eight days ago and said: ‘It will take a long time to heal’.
Mr Markle told TMZ last night: ‘I’m okay. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited’ and his children said he is ‘heartbroken’ to miss the wedding.
Mr Markle said his doctors needed to ‘go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed’ during the operation.
His daughter Samantha, who has a poor relationship with Meghan, claims her father is ‘upset and alone’ following his surgery.
But there is some confusion over his care as sources close to the Markle family said he had already been diagnosed with a heart condition and was due to undergo planned surgery to fit a stent, the same operation Prince Philip underwent in 2011, early next week – on his return from London.
Meghan’s mother Doria was given VIP treatment when she landed at Heathrow yesterday and is expected to give her daughter away in her father’s absence.
Mr Markle said his doctors needed to ‘go in and clear blockage, repair damage, and put a stent where it is needed’ during the operation.
His daughter Samantha, who has a poor relationship with Meghan, claims her father is ‘upset and alone’ following his surgery.
But there is some confusion over his care as sources close to the Markle family told the Mail yesterday that Mr Markle had already been diagnosed with a heart condition and was due to undergo planned surgery to fit a stent, the same operation Prince Philip underwent in 2011, early next week – on his return from London.
Miss Markle’s nephew, Tyler Dooley, has said he hopes his grandfather will travel but said: ‘We’ll just have to wait and see.’
Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland flew into Heathrow on an overnight flight from Los Angeles and she is expected to give her daughter away.
Dressed casually in a T-shirt, linen trousers and canvas pumps, and carrying a suit bag containing what is believed to be her Burberry wedding outfit, she was picked up from the steps of the aircraft by a royal fleet Jaguar.
She was driven to Heathrow’s VIP Windsor suite, where Harry’s assistant private secretary Amy Pickerill was waiting with an immigration officer.
A member of staff from the private office carried her bags.
Miss Ragland, described as a ‘free spirit’ by her daughter and ‘amazing’ by Harry, was taken to Kensington Palace where she will stay until Friday.
She will not have long to shake off any effects of jet lag. It is thought she will meet the Queen, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in the next 24 hours.
On the night before the wedding she and her daughter will move with the bridal party to historic Cliveden, a 25-minute drive from Windsor Castle.
It is widely thought that should her former husband, with whom she is said to be ‘barely on speaking terms’, fail to show, it will be Miss Ragland who has the task of walking her daughter down the aisle. Some royal insiders have also questioned whether Prince Charles might step in to do the honours.
An aerial view of the procession today with Windsor Castle in the background showing thousands of people had lined the streets to come out to watch
Well-wishers lined the streets of Windsor as they watched the military rehearsal take place this afternoon
Members of the military, including soldiers from the Household Cavalry, pictured, marched the parade route today
Armed officer on the Long Walk in front of Windsor Castle during a dress rehearsal ahead of Saturday’s main event
Royal fans are gathering in Windsor today with just 48 hours to go until the wedding of the year
Police were also out in huge numbers ahead of a rehearsal in the Berkshire town today
Military personnel walk the processional route around Windsor Castle before the upcoming wedding
Senior royal sources dismissed reports that the ongoing family ‘soap opera’ had caused opprobrium in the Royal Family.
‘Let’s just say that this is a family well used to personal dramas and everyone feels desperately sorry for Meghan, particularly as it has all happened just days before her wedding day,’ said one.
‘At the end of the day, her father is his own man and she cannot control him.
‘Everyone could not be more supportive of her. Everything is going ahead as planned.’
Meghan Markle’s estranged half-sister, Samantha – who has made no secret of her bitterness at not being invited to the wedding – launched another attack on the bride-to-be last night.
‘She’s not going to tell me that I can’t speak about my life,’ she said. ‘I’m not going to take it. She’s way out of her league to tell me that I can’t speak.’
Samantha, 53, one of two children born to Miss Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, from his first marriage, has given a series of stinging interviews about her sibling.
She has accused Miss Markle of abandoning her family, particularly their father, during her quest for fame, and said Prince Harry would be ‘appalled by what she’s done’.
Samantha Markle gave a bombshell interview to US media where she insisted she had ‘freedom of speech’ and the right to criticise her half-sister Meghan
Samantha Markle, pictured with her famous half-sister in 2008, has said it’s her fault their father agreed to appear in staged photos on the eve of the royal wedding
Samantha, who has not seen Miss Markle in a decade, has also dismissed the actress as ‘narcissistic and selfish’ and has even penned an as-yet-unpublished memoir entitled The Diary of Princess Pushy’s Sister.
Her frequent and increasingly wild interventions have been met with a cold silence by Kensington Palace, although one friend of the couple said they were an example of ‘how complicated family relationships could be’.
Last night it was reported Samantha Markle was taken to hospital with a possible broken ankle after a ‘confrontation’ with a photographer in Florida.
She was reportedly being driven by her boyfriend, Mark, when she hurt her leg and knee in a car crash.
He is claimed to have crashed into a concrete barrier after he swerved to avoid a photographer, who had moved in front of their car to take a picture, TMZ reported.
The surgery is the latest twist surrounding Mr Markle’s attendance at Meghan’s wedding. He was pictured on May at Doria’s house a day after reportedly having a heart attack
Two days after his heart attack, Thomas was seen at a McDonald’s drive-thru were he purchased a Happy Meal and a cold drink
Meghan Markle’s estranged half-brother is the latest relative to turn up in the UK uninvited and called her a ‘perfect princess’ weeks after advising Prince Harry to dump her.
Mr Markle revealed he believes his heart attack was triggered by an open letter his son, Thomas Jr (pictured), who flew into the UK last night
Thomas Markle Jr, 51, also said his father will be heartbroken to miss Saturday’s wedding as he posed outside Windsor Castle last night.
He recent penned an ‘open letter’ and told Harry: ‘As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.’
He also described Meghan elsewhere as ‘acting phoney’ and claimed she was ‘trying to reinvent herself as the new Princess Diana’.
But as he arrived in the UK despite not getting a wedding invite he appears to have changed his tune about his half-sister.
He told the Daily Mirror: ‘My sister’s going to be one of the best things ever to have happened to the royal family. She will be the perfect modern princess. I wish Meg and Harry nothing but a happy and healthy future together.’
He added: ‘My dad will be heartbroken that he cannot be with Meg in Windsor to walk her down the aisle. He would have moved heaven and earth to be there’.
He also blamed the royal family for failing to give him ‘guidance’ as he embarrassed his sister.
He said: ‘My letter wasn’t intended to cause hurt or upset. I’d hoped my letter might shame the palace, I guess, into getting in touch.
‘I was wrong. It wasn’t designed to humiliate Meg into inviting me, but more hoping we could get the help we needed. Ever since her relationship with Harry emerged two years ago, our lives have been changed forever.
Megan Markle’s estranged family members Tracey Dooley and her son Tyler are shown leaving their Waterloo hotel after coming to London without an invite
Tyler Dooley’s girlfriend, Sandra Bazan, is also in London for the wedding. It is unlikely she has ever met Meghan
‘We needed guidance from the royals but didn’t get it.’
Meanwhile, with no members of either side of Miss Markle’s family – apart from her mother – apparently attending Saturday’s ceremony, the bride-to-be’s more distant relatives were popping up to cash in on their 15 minutes of fame.
Miss Markle’s half-brother’s ex-wife, Tracey Dooley, who has not spoken to the actress for 20 years, was enjoying a sightseeing tour of London with her two sons yesterday.
They were due to appear as wedding ‘pundits’ on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, but last night a GMB spokesman said they had been pulled.
One of Miss Markle’s nephews, Tyler, 25, who lives in Oregon, runs a legal cannabis farm and has created a royal wedding strain called Markle’s Sparkle. The family are staying in a £70-a-night hotel in Waterloo, central London.
Meghan’s friend and stylist Jessica Mulroney was spotted in Kensington ahead of the wedding, along with four-year-old daughter Ivy, who was named today as a bridesmaid
Meghan and Harry’s suspected matchmaker, fashion designer Misha Nonoo (together left) has also arrived in London (right)
Out and about: Meghan Markle’s former Suits co-star Gabriel Macht and his wife Jacinda Barrett have been sharing snaps of themselves in London, ahead of the actress’s wedding to Prince Harry
Meghan’s best friend Jessica Mulroney has arrived with her three children – Ivy, Brian and John – who were yesterday announced as being among the couple’s ten bridesmaids and pageboys.
Meghan’s Suits co-stars have started arriving in London, ahead of her wedding, set to take place at Windsor Castle on Saturday.
Gabriel Macht and Rick Hoffman, who shoot their series in Toronto, each took to their Instagram accounts this week to share images of themselves both enjoying the English capital and hinting of travel to the UK ahead of the big Berkshire bash.
On Wednesday afternoon, 46-year-old Gabriel, who plays formidable star Harvey Specter on the show, uploaded a romantic snapshot of himself nuzzling his wife smiling Jacinda Barrett as they relaxed by the water in Hyde Park.
‘Yesterday #london #hydepark Today #guess,’ he captioned the picture, which garnered more than 100,000 likes in three hours and attracted a stream of comments from fans, who all but guessed that he was in town for the wedding.
The actor’s wife of 14 years also shared some images of her own from their leisurely excursion at the central London park – which is just a stone’s throw away from Meghan and Harry’s residence at Kensington Palace.
Harry and Meghan’s rumoured matchmaker Misha Nonoo has also touched down in London ahead of the royal wedding on Saturday.
The designer, 31, shared a black-and-white snap of herself in the capital, along with the caption ‘#womanonthego’, in reference to her fashion label.
Wearing a double-breasted blazer and pleated midi skirt, Misha looked typically chic as she posed for the Instagram picture.
Meghan Markle’s brother says she will be the ‘PERFECT modern princess’ – days after he wrote astonishing open letter telling Harry ‘this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history’
Thomas Markle Jr, 51, has arrived in the UK and has changed his tune about his sister calling her the perfect modern princess
Meghan Markle’s estranged half-brother has become the latest relative to turn up in the UK uninvited and called her a ‘perfect princess’ weeks after advising Prince Harry to dump her.
Thomas Markle Jr, 51, posed outside Windsor Castle last night and praised his sister despite spending much of his time calling their wedding a ‘fake fairy tale’.
He also said his father Thomas will be heartbroken to miss Saturday’s wedding because of heart surgery and the scandal of his paparazzi deal.
Mr Markle Jr had recently penned an ‘open letter’ and told Harry: ‘As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.’
He also described Meghan elsewhere as ‘acting phoney’ and claimed she was ‘trying to reinvent herself as the new Princess Diana’.
But as he arrived in the UK yesterday – despite not getting a wedding invite – he appears to have changed his tune about his half-sister.
He told the Daily Mirror: ‘My sister’s going to be one of the best things ever to have happened to the royal family. She will be the perfect modern princess. I wish Meg and Harry nothing but a happy and healthy future together.’
He added: ‘My dad will be heartbroken that he cannot be with Meg in Windsor to walk her down the aisle. He would have moved heaven and earth to be there’.
He also blamed the royal family for failing to give him ‘guidance’ as he embarrassed his sister.
Mr Markle Jr had recently penned an ‘open letter’ and told Harry: ‘As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history’
Meghan, pictured with Harry on April 25, reportedly pleaded with her father to walk her down the aisle
He said: ‘My letter wasn’t intended to cause hurt or upset. I’d hoped my letter might shame the palace, I guess, into getting in touch.
‘I was wrong. It wasn’t designed to humiliate Meg into inviting me, but more hoping we could get the help we needed. Ever since her relationship with Harry emerged two years ago, our lives have been changed forever.
‘We needed guidance from the royals but didn’t get it.’
Their father Thomas has heart problems and yesterday had surgery, so looks unlikely to be well enough to fly to the UK from his home in Mexico.
US website TMZ, which claims to have been in contact with Mr Markle all week, reported that he ‘seemed alert and coherent’ and said doctors had implanted up to three stents in his blood vessels.
He said: ‘I’m okay. It will take a long time to heal. Staying in the hospital a few more days. Not allowed to get excited.’
Miss Markle’s nephew, Tyler Dooley, has said he hopes his grandfather will travel but said: ‘We’ll just have to wait and see.’
Met the in-laws? Charles and Camilla leave Kensington Palace by helicopter after Meghan’s mother spends the night there ahead of meeting with the Queen
Meghan Markle’s mother appears to have met Prince Charles and Camilla today after they were seen jetting out of Kensington Palace in a helicopter.
Doria Ragland is also expected to see the Queen, Prince William and Kate in the coming 24 hours after arriving from Los Angeles yesterday.
Charles and Camilla arrived at Kensington Palace by car with an aide carrying a large bouquet of flowers following behind.
They then flew to the National Arboretum in Staffordshire where a permanent national memorial to the British victims of overseas terrorism has been unveiled.
Ms Ragland is now expected to walk her daughter down the aisle on Saturday after Meghan confirmed her father Thomas will not attend the royal wedding after days of chaos caused by his health and a paparazzi scandal.
Charles and Camilla have been pictured leaving Kensington Palace by helicopter today where they are expected to have met Meghan’s mother Doria mother for the first time
The couple then flew to the National Arboretum in Staffordshire by helicopter (pictured) where a permanent national memorial to the British victims of overseas terrorism has been unveiled
An aide carrying a large bouquet of flowers following behind the royal couple
Prince Charles and Prince William are also among the favourites to give her away if she doesn’t step in.
Doria Ragland spent the night at Kensington Palace after being reunited with her daughter yesterday.
She was whisked off to the royal residence after touching down at Heathrow following a ten hour flight from Los Angeles.
The yoga teacher and social worker will now stay at the palace in west London until the day before the wedding on Saturday.
Ms Ragland, 61, has been preparing to meet the Queen,Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the next 24 hours.
On Friday evening she will move with the bridal party to the historic Cliveden House in Taplow, Berkshire, a 25 minute drive from Windsor Castle.
After being rushed through a private VIP terminal in the US, Miss Ragland flew into Heathrow where she was met by some of Prince Harry’s most trusted aides and taken to Kensington Palace by royal Jaguar.
The presence of Miss Ragland who is extremely close to her daughter and still calls her ‘flower’, will undoubtedly calm Miss Markle’s nerves in what has been an unexpectedly fraught and hugely emotional week.
Doria Ragland, pictured with Meghan, was whisked off to the royal residence after arriving in the UK yesterday
Miss Ragland is staying with her daughter at Kensington Palace, west London until the day before the wedding
Miss Ragland is set to meet the Queen (pictured yesterday) and the rest of the royal family
Meghan’s sister ‘breaks her ankle in car crash’ after launching astonishing attack on Kensington Palace saying they left her father stranded in hospital and she had to wire him money
Meghan Markle’s sister has hit out at the Palace for not helping her father after his heart attack — saying she had to send him money.
Samantha Markle launched the astonishing attack on officials at Kensington Palace, saying she had to wire cash over to him following the operation.
It comes as she suffered a suspected broken ankle and a fractured knee in a car crash on Wednesday, hours after she slammed the royal family for not supporting her father after his heart attack.
Last night she joined her brother Thomas Markle Jr in his criticism of the Palace after she claimed her father was not offered support following his heart attack.
She also claimed to have had to wire money to 73-year-old Thomas Markle so he could survive.
Meghan Markle’s half- sister Samantha (left, and right with the actress) has hit out at the Palace for not helping her father after his heart attack — saying she had to send him money
Thomas Markle Jr previously told The Mirror: ‘I wrote to Kensington Palace months ago asking for their aid. We’ve all been so overwhelmed by the attention and have found it difficult living under such scrutiny.’
He is in Windsor but is not invited to the wedding, along with her half-sister and fellow estranged family members after months of infighting among them soured the occasion.
Samantha, who had earlier astonishingly claimed she was behind her father’s deal to stage photograph with a paparazzi agency, said his condition was ‘life-threatening’.
‘He was upset. He wanted to go. But his doctor had the overruling opinion he needed surgery. So he’s smart enough to know, “this is life threatening”,’ Samantha told The Sun.
She went on to dismiss reports that Kensington Palace had offered support for her father in Mexico and had not offered to fly him to London early or provide details on how he could get there.
The sibling added: ‘That is not true or he would have been living in his place. He’d have a reliable vehicle. He’d have been with security. I have receipts showing I’ve sent my father money twice by MoneyGram because he needed it.
‘There was no actual contact from Meghan and she has not spoken with my father since the heart attack. I don’t know why that is, I’m not blaming her.’
Armchair guide to the royal wedding as timings for the big day are revealed for TV viewers
Millions of people across the country will be tuning in to watch the royal wedding live on TV.
Live coverage of the day’s events at Windsor Castle by the BBC will be presented by Kirsty Young, Huw Edwards and Dermot O’Leary among others.
Julie Etchingham and Phillip Schofield will lead ITV’s coverage.
Sky News is screening the proceedings in ultra high definition with Kay Burley presenting from a special studio on the Long Walk.
Here MailOnline provides an armchair guide to the royal wedding on Saturday…
9am
Members of the public who have been invited to watch the wedding day from the grounds of Windsor Castle begin to arrive.
9.30am
Wedding guests begin arriving at the castle’s famous Round Tower by coach. They will enter St George’s Chapel through the South Door and take their seats.
Guests will be arriving at the Round Tower at Windsor Castle by coach and will be seen walking to the South Door of St George’s Chapel from 9.30am. The tower was closed to visitors in 1975 for major construction work and was under-pinned to prevent subsidence, but instead of reopening to visitors, it was later converted into office space for the Royal Archives in 2011
11.20am
Members of the Royal Family begin arriving, entering via the Galilee Porch, some on foot and others by car.
11.45am
Harry and his brother the Duke of Cambridge are expected to appear at the Chapel’s West Steps, probably on foot, walking past the thousands of spectators invited into the grounds of the castle.
This will give Harry an opportunity to acknowledge the 200 representatives from charities he is associated with gathered in the Horseshoe Cloister at the bottom of the steps.
11.55am
Following protocol, the Queen will be the last member of the Royal Family to arrive.
Following protocol, the Queen will be the last member of the Royal Family to arrive at around 11.55am. The service will start at noon and everyone will already know most of what to expect as the order of service is being released at midnight on Friday. Her Majesty is pictured left at garden party on Tuesday and right attending the first day of the Royal Windsor Horse Show
11.59am
With a minute to go, Meghan Markle is expected to turn up at the Chapel’s West Steps by car, from her overnight accommodation, with some of her bridesmaids and pageboys.
She will start her journey, which will take her past some of the crowds in the Long Walk, with her mother Doria Ragland – but when the car stops at the castle her mother will exchange places with her bridesmaids and pageboys, including Princess Charlotte and Prince George. Ms Ragland will enter the chapel by the Galilee Porch.
Noon
The service starts. Everyone will already know most of what to expect as the order of service is being released at midnight on Friday.
1pm
The newlyweds will emerge about an hour later at the West Steps of the Chapel. They will be waved off on their carriage procession through Windsor by members of both families.
The congregation will file out of the chapel to see the newlyweds leave before heading to St George’s Hall for the lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen.
The carriage procession through the streets of Windsor is expected to take about 25 minutes.
The congregation will file out of the chapel to see the newlyweds leave before heading to St George’s Hall for the lunchtime reception hosted by the Queen
7pm
The reception is not being televised and neither is the evening reception at Frogmore House, but viewers will get another glimpse of the royal couple when they leave Windsor Castle at 7pm for the evening do, which is hosted by the Prince of Wales.