All
is set for the wedding of the century as Prince Harry's would-be
wife, Meghan Markle arrived in the UK ahead of tomorrow's wedding at
Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel. But the American actress will
be walking down the aisle without her father accompanying her. She
confirmed on Friday that her father, Thomas Markle,
will not attend her wedding to Britain's Prince Harry on Saturday.
Her statement ends days of speculation
over the 73-year-old's health, and a controversy over whether he
staged a series of paparazzi-style photographs.
"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," Meghan
Markle said in a statement provided by Kensington Palace Thursday.
"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."
The statement is the first official
confirmation that Thomas Markle would not be able to walk his
daughter down the aisle at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle on
Saturday.
According to CNN, Markle has been in
contact with her father in recent days, who told her that he was
unable to attend the wedding on medical advice. CNN understands that
while Markle is concerned for her father, she is surrounded by
friends, in a good frame of mind and is looking forward to the
wedding.
Kensington Palace has faced criticism
for not doing enough to protect Thomas Markle from the inevitable
glare of publicity that would come with the situation. In particular,
some royal commentators have suggested that the royal family ought to
have sent a "minder" to look after Markle in the weeks
running up to the wedding.
The royal family never discusses such
arrangements publicly, but CNN has learned that Kensington Palace has
been offering advice and providing practical support in protecting
Thomas Markle's security and privacy since after the couple met in
2016.
Kensington Palace did not say who would
take Markle's place, but Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland,
arrived in London on Wednesday and will be a leading candidate.
Another possible stand-in would be
Prince Charles, Meghan's future father-in-law.
Thomas Markle first suggested he might
not attend the wedding on Monday, after conceding he had worked with
an American celebrity photographer to stage a series of pictures of
him preparing for the ceremony.
In a series of interviews with the
entertainment website TMZ, Markle first said he would not attend to
save his daughter embarrassment. Then he appeared to have a change of
heart: "I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments
in history and walking my daughter down the aisle," he was
quoted as saying.
Later, Markle told TMZ that his
daughter had attempted to reach him by phone, and having failed to do
so, texted him to say that she loved him and to express concern. At
that point, Markle said he would do his best to attend, despite
suffering chest pains.
Finally, he said he had been forced to
undergo heart surgery and would not be able to go to the wedding
after all. Speaking to the TMZ entertainment website, he said it
would "take a long time to heal."
Thomas Markle is a former lighting
director who worked on popular TV shows "Married with Children"
and "General Hospital," according to the Internet Movie
Database.
He met Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland,
at a Hollywood studio in the late '70s. The pair split when their
daughter was young.
Meghan Markle's half-sister, Samantha
Markle, recently said she was the "culprit" who urged their
father to stage the photos in an ill-fated bid to improve his image.
She said her father had "suffered at the hands of the media"
and had decided "enough is enough."
In Windsor, members of the Members of
the British Armed Forces took part in a large-scale dress rehearsal.
Troops left their barracks at 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET)
Thursday, many marching to Windsor Castle to take up their positions
inside the grounds.
A carriage is driven through the
streets of Windsor during a rehearsal for the royal wedding.
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