WEDDING BOMBSHELL
Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas to undergo heart operation and will miss Royal Wedding as he blames son for heart scare after open letter to Prince Harry
MEGHAN Markle’s dad has ruled himself out of the Royal Wedding once and for all, saying he is having heart surgery today.
Thomas, 73, earlier vowed to walk his daughter up the aisle after she begged him to be there - but he's been forced to pull out for a second time.
12
And he says son Tom Jr triggered his heart scare by writing an open letter warning Prince Harry not to marry Meghan this Saturday.
Mr Markle Snr said he was due to go into surgery today at 3.30pm UK time after checking himself into hospital for a battery of tests.
He told : “They will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed.”
The latest revelation came just hours after it was reported he did want to go to the wedding to give Meghan away to Harry — itself only 24 hours after announcing he would not be there after being embarrassed over staged paparazzi shots.
What we know so far...
- Meghan Markle's dad Thomas will reportedly undergo major heart surgery on Wednesday afternoon 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
- Mum Doria is said to not be on speaking terms with Thomas Markle, angry his family has been trashing Meghan
- The bride's best friend Jessica Mulroney jetted into London Heathrow last night, with her kids - who will be in the wedding - by her side
- Kensington Palace today announced that Prince George and Princess Charlotte would be among the bridesmaids and page boys at the wedding
- But despite the chaos Kensington Palace sources said the wedding would still go ahead
12
12
Piers Morgan calls Meghan Markle's half-sister Samantha Markle 'a little vulture' in row about media coverage of dad Thomas
Meghan Markle's brother Thomas Jnr's open letter to Prince Harry in full
Dear Prince Harry,
It’s not too late, Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you.
As more time passes to your royal wedding, it became very clear that this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.
I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees.
Meghan's attempt to act the part of a princess like a below C average Hollywood actress is getting old.
What kind of person starts out by using her own father until he's bankrupt, then forgets about him in Mexico leaving him broke, over mostly all her debts.
And when it's time to pay him back she forgets her own father like she never knew him.
My father will never recover financially from paying Meghan’s way, nor emotionally from disowning him. Meg is showing her true colours.
It's very apparent that her tiny bit of Hollywood fame has gone to her head, changing her into a jaded, shallow, conceited woman, that will make a fool of you and the royal family heritage.
Not to mention, to top it all off, she doesn't invite her own family and instead invites complete strangers to the wedding. Who does that? You and the royal family should put an end to this fake fairytale wedding before it's too late.
Her own father didn’t get an invite, whom should be walking her down the aisle.
She forgets if it wasn’t for my father she would be busing tables and babysitting to pay her old debt off.
The whole world is watching Meg make bad decisions and choices, it’s not too late Harry.
Meghan is still my sister. She is family. So whatever happens is up to her, whether she wants to forget knowing me or the rest of her family, family comes first.
Also, you would think that a royal wedding would bring a torn family closer together, but I guess we're all distant family to Meg.
Sincerely Tom Markle Jr
He said he had changed his mind after Meghan begged him to come.
He said of the decision: “I’d like to be part of history. Of course I’d walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment.
“I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle.”
The retired lighting director, who lives in Rosarito, Mexico, said medics had told him his heart was “seriously damaged” after a heart attack a week ago.
12
12
12
He blamed his health troubles on an open letter written by his son Thomas Jnr, urging the prince not to marry his half-sister.
Tom Jnr wrote that the marriage would be the "biggest mistake in royal wedding history" and described the actress as a "jaded, shallow, conceited woman".
The letter, shared with InTouch, reads: "It’s not too late, Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you.
"I'm confused why you don't see the real Meghan that the whole world now sees."
A week later, in another, he apologised for the note and begged Meghan to invite him to the wedding.
12
12
Stacey Solomon says Meghan Markle's dad was 'not supported by Palace'
Meanwhile, Mr Markle also revealed to TMZ that his daughter texted him to say "I love you" before he announced he is to undergo surgery.
On Monday, Thomas said he would not attend the Windsor wedding because he did not want to embarrass his daughter or the royals after admitting he was paid for staged paparazzi photos - which he admitted were "stupid" and "hammy".
The photographs showed Thomas working out, getting his suit measurements and even looking online at photos of his daughter's engagement photos.
When asked yesterday if he thought the Queen would be upset with him, Thomas said: “I don’t think the Queen is thinking about what I’m doing.”
He said his actions had been “stupid” but not a serious mistake.
Thomas told TMZ Meghan had tried calling him after he said he would not be at the wedding.
He said he missed the call and she later sent a text saying she loved him and was concerned about his health.
12
12
When is the Royal Wedding? Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding date, time, route and venue
Thomas said Meghan told him neither she nor Harry cared about him being paid for posed shots.
He said he has been taking Valium for his anxiety.
A friend yesterday said those who know Meghan and Thomas will be saddened but not surprised if he does not go.
The pal added: “I was never convinced he would be there, even after he was ‘confirmed’. He has a history of backing out of social commitments.
12
12
"He is socially awkward to say the least, so such a massive occasion would be overwhelming.
“He will have been anxious about the etiquette, the attention — and so will Meghan.”
The friend said Thomas has been known to nod off at gatherings and added: “He’s had health issues in the past, so I’m not surprised it’s been mentioned.
“Meghan is much closer to her mother Doria and will probably want her to walk her down the aisle anyway.”
Piers Morgan says he'll walk Meghan Markle down the aisle as her father reportedly pulls out
Thomas was supposed to fly to London this week and meet the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles, Camilla, Wills and Kate over lunch.
Elder brother Michael, 78, said Thomas had got used to handling pressure in his work as a lighting director on film sets.
Michael said: “He’s always had to deal with deadlines with his job and pressure to get the shows ready on time. I was very surprised when I heard that he was missing the wedding.
“I think it’s easy to blame the media for everything but you’ve got to take a little bit of responsibility yourself as well.
“Although I understand he’s in a difficult situation because he values his privacy.
“I had talked to him about it and told him to go along with it and just enjoy it. Thomas and Meghan are very close. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Michael added he was not aware if his brother had suffered a heart attack.
He added: “I haven’t talked to him in two weeks so I don’t know.
Most read in news
“He’s obese though. He’s very heavy and it’s easy to have a heart attack if you’re grossly overweight.”
Asked whether he finds it strange for his family to not be told about such a serious health concern, Michael replied: “Well you’d think family members would have been invited to this wedding.
“But evidently the decision was made a while back, and I don’t know by whom, to restrict the Markles. That’s not normal either.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.