Royal wedding 2018: Meghan Markle's father reveals agony he has suffered over staged paparazzi photos

Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle drops off flowers at Ms Markle's mother Doria Ragland's home days before the wedding
Rachpoot/MEGA
Robert Jobson15 May 2018

Meghan Markle's father today spoke of the emotional and physical agony he has suffered following the scandal over staged paparazzi pictures.

Thomas Markle, 73, indicated last night that he would not attend his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry in Windsor on Saturday following the furore over his alleged deal with a photographer.

The former Hollywood lighting director, who reportedly checked himself out of a Mexican hospital after suffering a minor heart attack six days ago, told celebrity news website TMZ he was “popping Valium” because of chest pains triggered by “emotional upset” and could return to hospital because he fears another coronary.

Mr Markle specifically mentioned his elder daughter, Samantha Grant, who has been critical of her half-sister Meghan in the weeks leading up to the royal wedding. Mr Markle reportedly told TMZ: “I’ve been popping Valium for the pain, especially when I hear about my oldest daughter.”

Thomas Markle with Meghan Markle when she was a child

He also said he had not spoken to Meghan, 36, since it was reported that he had decided to pull out of the wedding. His comments came despite reports that she had pleaded with him to fly to Britain. TMZ today reported that Mr Markle believes Meghan’s mother — his ex-wife Doria Ragland — is a good choice for walking her down the aisle instead.

The scandal emerged over the weekend, when the Mail on the Sunday revealed CCTV images which showed Mr Markle meeting a photographer at an internet cafe, where he was snapped looking at pictures of his daughter with Harry. Yesterday Mrs Grant took responsibility, tweeting: “The bad press over my father doing staged photos is my fault. The media was unfairly making him look bad so I suggested he do positive photos for his benefit and the benefit of the royal family.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry will marry on Saturday
Getty Images

“We had no idea he would be taken advantage of. It was not for money.”

Today Mrs Grant, 53, told ITV’s Good Morning Britain she hoped her father could still attend the wedding: “I spoke to him early yesterday and he was quite depressed over an unbelievable series of events involving the media. I hope so [that he will attend].

“And as for whether or not he had had a heart attack, people have had heart attacks they didn’t know they’d had until they had an ECG. They’re not always that loud. They’re not always that dramatic. For him that was the case. He was given the option in Mexico to fly him to LA, he was afraid that the media would find out. They stabilised him enough that he said, ‘Let me give it a day, I’m going to go and get checked’.”

She continued: “He was really having heart pains and suffered a heart attack. It was an unbelievable amount of stress — by his report they were stabilising him. I think he wants to go to the hospital and get checked out.

“I don’t know as of today what his plans are, but there’s a very real concern, I wanted to see him go [to the wedding], I didn’t want him deprived of that. But clearly the priority should be whether or not it’s safe for him to do that. That’s where we’re at.”

But the programme’s host, Piers Morgan, criticised Mrs Grant, telling her: “There is no bigger media vulture in this wedding than you.”

Blasted by Piers Morgan: Samantha Grant
Good Morning Britain

He accused Mrs Grant, who is writing a book with a working title of The Diary Of Princess Pushy’s Sister, of “trading off her very tenuous connection” with Meghan. He said: “It’s pretty rich coming from you Samantha to accuse the media of being vultures. Many of our viewers will have watched your activities and think you have treated your sister in a very shabby way and that’s maybe why you are not invited to the wedding.” There had been weeks of speculation about Mr Markle’s role in the wedding, before Kensington Palace announced this month that he would walk Meghan down the aisle.

It was also revealed that Meghan’s mother Doria would travel in the car with her from their hotel. Last night a Palace spokesman said: “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.”

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