OF COURSE I DO!
Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas DOES want to walk her down the aisle at royal wedding – but says doctors ‘might not let him travel’
MEGHAN Markle’s dad now wants to walk his daughter down the aisle in the latest twist in the build up to the royal wedding.
Thomas Markle has he does want to make the trip, but his doctors might not let him travel due to recent health scares.
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Mr Markle earlier appeared to back his ex-wife Doria Ragland to be by their daughter's side this Saturday after pulling out of the royal wedding last minute.
That came following the revelation he had been paid to pose for paparazzi pictures.
But he now appears to have backtracked, saying: ";I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle".
He revealed he missed Meghan's earlier phone calls but added she'd messaged him to say she loved him and was concerned about his health.
The 73-year-old dismissed the idea of the Queen being upset with him, saying: "I don't think the Queen is thinking about what I'm doing."
What we know so far...
- Meghan Markle's dad Thomas will reportedly undergo major heart surgery at 7.30am on Wednesday and WON'T attend the Royal Wedding on Saturday
- He'd earlier said he wouldn't be attending for fear of embarrassing Meghan and the royal family over staged paparazzi photos
- The 73-year-old suffered a heart scare last week which he has reportedly blamed on an open letter by his son Tom Jr
- Mr Markle backed Meghan's mum Doria Ragland to give her away instead after he pulled out
- Prince Harry was said to blame himself for the upset just days before the wedding
- But despite the chaos Kensington Palace sources said the wedding would still go ahead
- Piers Morgan slammed Meghan's half-sister Samantha, saying she had been a media "vulture", after she appeared on GMB to defend her dad
It was earlier reported the father of the bride intended to check back into hospital after suffering more chest pains.
And it was thought Meghan had been unable to contact her father since his decision to pull out.
Thomas, who said he had a heart attack a week ago, insisted he would not walk Meghan down the aisle for fear of embarrassing her or the royals.
Prince Harry was said to be blaming himself over the last-minute hitch - with Meghan pleading with her dad to change his mind.
A source earlier told The Sun: “Meghan is devastated and wants her father to be there. They’re trying to work this out so he will come after all.”
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Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha Markle still hopeful dad Thomas can make daughter's wedding after 'heart attack'
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Another pal told that reclusive Thomas was "not in a good place" after the picture deal was revealed.
They said: "(Meghan) obviously wants her dad there and the idea of contemplating him not being there now is not something that she wants to have to do."
Thomas' initial no-show decision, just four days before the wedding at Windsor’s St George’s Chapel, caught the Palace completely by surprise - throwing its plans into chaos.
Kensington Palace said last night: “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.”
Thomas, who lives in Rosarito, Mexico, was due to fly to London this week to meet the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla, Wills and Kate at a lunch ahead of the ceremony.
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But instead, it seemed Meghan might have to rely on her mother Doria to walk her down the aisle on her wedding day.
It is understood Meghan, 36, had already asked her to be on standby in case Thomas was too unwell to come to the UK.
The photographs which caused the initial upset showed Thomas in Rosarito reading a book on British history, working out with weights, being measured for a wedding suit and looking up Harry and Meghan at an internet café.
The pictures were sold around the world — before the Mail On Sunday revealed they had been staged.
Thomas admitted in the interview that the staged paparazzi pictures looked “stupid and hammy.”
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His confession is embarrassing for Kensington Palace, which had issued strong legal letters in an attempt to protect Thomas’s privacy.
A source said: “Tom was really upset when he was photographed looking unkempt and dishevelled earlier this year.
“He thought they made him look like a lush and he wanted a more positive image of him out there.
“So that’s why he colluded with the picture agency and photographer to do better shots.”
Thomas admitted accepting money from agency Coleman Rayner for the pictures.
The chaos has also hit Prince Harry hard, with a pal telling : "He [Harry] is devastated. He feels like this is another thing in the wake of him... the problems he causes. He feels that anyone who gets associated with his life - this is the price they have to pay.
"He wants to protect her and this is really difficult for him to swallow."
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Thomas was pictured driving away from his home last Wednesday and staying the night at a motel in San Diego after crossing the US border.
The next day, Thursday, he lifted two heavy pots of flowering plants and put them on Doria’s door step in Los Angeles along with a card.
He was seen driving around LA, visiting the post office, pharmacy and bank before heading back to Mexico that evening.
Thomas’s daughter Samantha, Meghan’s estranged half-sister, said the posed pictures were her idea.
Samantha, not invited to the wedding, told ITV’s Loose Women she said: “My father doing staged photos is my fault.
“I suggested he do positive photos. It was not for money.”
She said she had no idea if he had been paid but added: “If he was it would have been a pittance. I’m entirely the culprit.
"I said to him to show the world ‘I’m getting in shape and getting healthy’ so I suggested it to benefit him and the Royal family.”
Thomas’s grandson Tyler Dooley, 25, yesterday said his granddad had suggested only on Sunday that he would be at the wedding.
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He said: “My grandfather is in pieces – he is broken. He is not doing well.
“He is a very reclusive guy — he has been in the spotlight his entire life behind the cameras and now he has been thrusted into all this with the Royals.
“It is overwhelming. My grandfather just wants to be left alone — he wants the peace and the quiet back.”
Tyler, a debt recovery worker, said of his Sunday discussion with Thomas: “He emailed me and I emailed him back.
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“He said he’s had some serious complications because of the stress, anxiety and pressure. I was also told that he had a heart attack. He had a pretty big health scare.
“He told me that he loves me very much and he’s sorry about everything that’s happening.
“He said he plans to get the care and the help he needs after the wedding — which told me that he was going.”
Tyler said he believed Thomas would change his mind again and go to the ceremony — because he loves Meghan so much.
He added: “There is no way he is not going to go to that wedding. That is his daughter and she loves him more than anything in the world.
“I couldn’t be more proud of Meghan — she is everything to me.
“She knows she has a big support base behind her and that’s all she needs to know.”
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If Thomas does not turn up, Doria will be the bride’s only immediate relative at Saturday’s wedding.
But Tracey Dooley, estranged wife of Meghan’s brother Thomas Jr, is already in London with her two sons despite not having an invite.
The three are set to appear on Good Morning Britain as part of the show’s Royal wedding coverage.
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