The King is described as ‘very charming’ by his daughter-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, in the latest episodes of the couple’s controversial Netflix docu-series.
Meghan, 41, speaking early in the fourth episode describes how difficult it was to not have her own father, Thomas Markle, by her side on her big day, with the world’s media looking on – and how important it was having Charles walk her down the aisle to Harry.
The couple released the second three episodes of their blockbuster Netflix series this morning and the fourth episode begins with her recounting how Charles stepped up in the absence of her own father, as she reveals she told him: ‘I’ve lost my father in this.’
Retired Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, 78, didn’t attend the couple’s historic nuptials at St George’s Chapel in Windsor after suffering two heart attacks in California in the weeks preceding it.
Meghan says in the fourth episode of the Netflix docu-series that the King – then Prince Charles – was ‘very charming’ to the Duchess of Sussex on her big day
She said: ‘Harry’s dad is very charming and I said to him like ‘I’ve lost my dad in this’, so him as my father-in-law was really important to me, so I asked him to walk me down the aisle and he said yes.’
Meghan discusses preparations for the couple’s wedding, which took place with the world watching in May 2018.
She says the whole occasion was ‘surreal’ but that she found a calm space, joking, she wanted a ‘mimosa, a croissant and to listen to Going to the Chapel’ while getting ready.
She told herself ‘take a deep breath and keep going’ as she walked down the aisle, and described how her and Harry’s deep connection helped.
Meghan later added: ‘H and I are really, really good at finding each other in the chaos. When we find each other, reconnect, it’s like, ‘It’s you, it’s you’.
Retired Hollywood lighting director Thomas Markle, 78, didn’t attend the couple’s historic nuptials at St George’s Chapel in Windsor after suffering two heart attacks in California in the weeks preceding it – she told her father-in-law ‘I’ve lost my dad in this’
The latest installment sees Meghan discussing preparations for the couple’s wedding, which took place with the world watching in May 2018. (Pictured: Meghan and Harry laughed about cutting their wedding cake with a sword)
‘It’s not that the rest of it doesn’t matter, but the rest of it feels temporary’.
Wedding footage, much of it in black and white, plays over the Duchess speaking, with Harry asked what he thought when he first cast eyes on his bride.
The Prince says: ‘Lucky me, look what I got’.
The first three episodes of Harry & Meghan – part of the Sussexes’ multi-million-dollar deal with Netflix – were streamed last week, with the final three hour-long episodes streaming from today.
The Sussexes’ six-part show – which forms part of their multimillion-pound deal with Netflix – has become the streaming giant’s most-watched documentary in a premier week, debuting with 81.55 million hours viewed.
The initial tranche covered the couple’s courtship and romance, but many were left deeply unhappy about the programme’s full-on assault on the late Queen’s Commonwealth legacy, with some saying it seemed as if the couple want to ‘bring down the monarchy’.
Harry toasts his wife after they walked down the aisle
Harry also let rip with a string of sly digs at his family, particularly his father and brother, including the suggestion that they had married not for love but to a woman who fitted ‘the mould’.
The duke also said members of his family questioned why Meghan needed more protection from the media than their wives had been given, but that they failed to grasp the ‘race element’.
The claims made in the trailer yesterday were quickly declared by royal experts as ‘nonsense’, while one commentator said the series was clearly a ‘form of revenge’.
Meghan Markle hinted that the royals initially baulked at her because she was different to them
In one clip, Meghan’s British privacy lawyer Jenny Afia insisted she had seen evidence of the conspiracy against the Duchess before Lucy Fraser – real name Lucy Meadmore – a former PR manager who was a mystery figure until a week ago, says ‘Meg became this scapegoat for the Palace’.
The Duchess herself also suggested she was made a scapegoat, adding: ‘You would see it play out. A story about someone in the family would pop up for a minute, and they’d go: ‘We’ve got to make that go away’.’
But Royal Editor for the Daily Mail Rebecca English said last night that only someone ‘utterly ignorant of the media’ would suggest that she would steer clear of a story about a royal family member in return for a disparaging tale about Meghan or Harry.
Writing in the Mail, she said she ‘never heard a negative word’ about the Sussexes until ‘at least six months after their marriage – and then not from anyone inside the palace walls.’
In fact, Ms English believed aides did all they could to keep up appearances when it appeared that ‘all was not well’ within the Sussex household.
She added: ‘Staff, they insisted, were leaving for personal reasons or because they had an exciting new opportunity to pursue. Never because of Meghan.
‘Even when I personally witnessed her round on a member of her team, leaving this individual in tears of humiliation, I was told – with a straight-face – that it had merely been a ”security incident”.
‘I had stand-up rows with palace staff when I suggested they had been economical with the truth and my fact-checking calls regarding stories I intended to publish were met with open sighs of frustration.’
She also said she chose to omit Harry’s ‘frankly rude and unprofessional behaviour towards the press’ from her copy, as the 38-year-old’s ‘impressive charity work deserved to be the star of the show.’
She added: ‘The truth is that negative stories about Harry and Meghan only began to eek out when their behaviour became so obnoxious that it was impossible to hide,’ she wrote.
‘And that’s not something I expect you will hear about when today’s dramatic finale lands on Netflix.’
There were mounting calls overnight to see the evidence for the highly damaging claim, with one royal source declaring: ‘No one is taking lessons in honesty from them.’
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams also called on filmmakers to back up claims made.
Responding to the trailer released yesterday, Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline it showed ‘how much of a coup for Netflix this docuseries is.’
He added: ‘The claim is that the Palace used Meghan as a ‘scapegoat’ so other damaging stories about other royals would go away.
‘So the question is, to benefit which royals and who knew about it? Which other members of the royal family were involved or were courtiers briefing without their knowledge?
‘William was named in an earlier trailer by Harry. This will be catastrophic for the relationship between the once close brothers.
‘What exactly is the evidence that backs up their claim that Meghan was ‘fed to the wolves’?
‘Essentially the claim is that the institution was working against them and using the media to discredit them with a barrage of negative articles. Her lawyer Jenny Afia says she has seen evidence. However what evidence will we be shown?’
He added: ‘This is undoubtedly a form of revenge. It remains to be seen after tomorrow’s series airs, if the royals will respond and if so, how.’
Read more:
Any suggestion negative stories were ‘fed’ to the media by the Palace as part of a ‘war’ against Meghan is categorically untrue – in fact I ignored Harry’s frankly rude and unprofessional behaviour towards the press, says Royal Editor REBECCA ENGLISH
Harry and Meghan Netflix documentary LIVE: Final three episodes released TODAY see Duchess branded a ‘scapegoat’ as royal family brace for fresh attacks
STEPHEN GLOVER: The world is tiring of the shallow, selfish Sussexes. When their moaning is long forgotten, the monarchy will still endure
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