Mr Markle's attendance was a topic of discussion amongst many people even before the arranged photo shoot scandal, mostly due to the rocky relationship in the Markle family. With only days left until the Royal wedding which is on Saturday 19 May, Meghan Markle confirmed that Thomas Markle -her father- won't be attending her wedding. Mr Markle was supposed to walk Meghan down the aisle, however, after the events of the last few weeks, he decided not to come to the royal wedding. Meghan confirmed that her father will be absent due to his health problems through an official statement from Kensington Palace.
Staged pictures
Thomas Markle 73, who was living in Mexico had problems handling the fame that came with being the father of a new member of the Royal Family. It is claimed that Thomas Markle had staged some of his pictures taken by the "paparazzi" because he was upset with the images they already had. The staged picture scandal was uncovered by US celebrity news website TMZ, who also stated that they talked to Mr Markle after the photos emerged. Mr Markle stated that he wasn't aiming for money and that his intentions weren't bad, that he just wanted to portray a more positive image. He also stated that he wasn't going to attend the wedding “because he doesn’t want to embarrass the royal family or his daughter.” Kensington Palace didn't comment on the incident other than confirming his absence with a letter from Ms Markle.
A statement from Ms. Meghan Markle: pic.twitter.com/TjBNarmuBU
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) 17 Mayıs 2018
Samantha Markle, Meghan Markle's half-sister, commented on the situation shortly after. She stated that the staged pictures were her idea to improve her father's image because she knew how he didn't like the way he was portrayed in the media.
Samantha also said that her father had a heart attack after seeing the media's reaction to the staged pictures. Consequently, he will be going through a heart surgery and he was medically advised against travelling to the UK.
The father of the bride was supposed to meet Prince Harry, the Queen and the rest of the royal family for the first time before the wedding when he arrived in the UK.
However, because of his decision to not to attend the wedding, he will not be able to meet his son-in-law before he married his daughter.
Who will walk Meghan down the the aisle?
Thomas Markle was supposed to walk his daughter down the aisle on Saturday 19 May, however, now it is unclear who will take his place. It is speculated that Doria Ragland, the mother of the bride, who arrived in London on Wednesday 16 May will take her ex-husband's place. Other speculations include Prince Charles, father of the groom, walking Meghan Markle down the aisle or Meghan walking by herself.
