Duchess Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, revealed that she became emotional when he told her and Prince Harry over the phone that he couldn’t attend their May 19 wedding.
“They were disappointed,” the retired TV lighting director, 73, said during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Monday, June 18. “Meghan cried — I’m sure, she did cry — and they both said, ‘Take care of yourself. We are really worried about you.’ They said the important thing is that I get better.”
Thomas was unable to fly to England for the royal nuptials because he underwent heart surgery just a few days earlier. Meghan’s father-in-law, Prince Charles, stepped in and walked her down the aisle instead.
“It was incredible watching her,” Thomas said. “I was very upset that it wasn’t me [walking with her], but the whole world was watching my daughter. I was very happy about that. The unfortunate thing for me now is I’m a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat. … I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle. [But] I can’t think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles.”
Meghan’s dad also spoke about how he was caught staging paparazzi photos of himself in the days leading up to the wedding. He said he apologized to both Harry, 33, and Meghan, 36, about the scandal.
“I realized it was a serious mistake. It’s hard to take it back,” he said before adding that the couple were “very forgiving.”
Thomas said he thinks his new son-in-law is a “great” and “interesting guy.” He later claimed that the former Suits actress did not initially tell him who she was dating.
“The first phone calls were, ‘Dad, I have a new boyfriend,’ and I said, ‘That’s really nice,’” he recalled. “She said, “He’s British,’ and I said, ‘That’s really nice.’ Eventually, the third time around was like, ‘He’s a prince.’ And at that point, she said, ‘It’s Harry!’ and I said, ‘Oh, Harry, OK!’”
As for expanding the royal family? “She’s wanted children for a long time,” Thomas said of Meghan. “There’s got to be a child in the making. … I don’t think there is a stork in the air yet, but I think it will happen sooner or later.”
A source close to the newly minted Duchess of Sussex told Us Weekly exclusively earlier this month that “having children is definitely a priority” for Harry and Meghan. “They both can’t wait to start a family. … They have a lot on their plate right now. But they both think that when the moment feels right, that will be the time to go for it. They’ll make fantastic parents.”
