Meghan Markle invited her publicity-shy father to her wedding to Prince Harry, even asking her to walk her down the aisle.
A family friend told The Sun in Sunday that 73-year-old Thomas Markle Sr. is “overjoyed to be beside his little girl on the day she becomes a princess — even if he has to battle his demons to get there.”
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The friend said Thomas Sr. is “not exactly thrilled at facing the world’s glare,” and is living a “reclusive life in Mexico.”
“But nothing will stop him from having Meghan on his arm for the big day,” the friend continued.
Markle also invited her mother, Doria Ragland, but did not invite half-sister Samantha Grant or her half-brother, Thomas Jr.
Ragland and Thomas Sr. divorced when Markle was 6 years old.
Markle’s family life has come under the media microscope since she and Harry announced their engagement in November 2017. Last week, the Daily Mail published paparazzi photos of Thomas Sr. enjoying dinner with a mysterious woman.
When Harry said the British Royal Family is the “family she never had,” Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail that Thomas Sr. was “extremely hurt.” Markle had a “really good family life,” Thomas Jr. claimed.
“My father will be extremely hurt, actually,” Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail in December. “He dedicated the majority of all his time and everything to her. He made sure she had what she needed to be successful and get to where she’s at today.”
Grant also criticized Harry’s comments on Twitter.
“Actually she has a large family who were always there with her and for her,” Grant wrote in a now-deleted tweet. “Our household was very normal and when dad and Doria divorced, we all made it so it was like she had two houses. No one was estranged, she was just too busy.”
Grant continued, “Meg’s family (our family) is complete with sister, brother,aunts, uncles, cousins, and the glue of our family, our amazing completely self-sacrificing father. She always had this family… Marrying merely extends it.”
Despite Grant’s claims, she reportedly has a limited relationship with Markle. She told The Mirror in January that she has not spoken to Markle since 2014 or 2015.
Markle and Harry will tie the knot on May 19 at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. About 600 guests will attend a lunchtime reception hosted by Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. His father, Prince Charles, will host an evening reception at Frogmore House at Windsor Castle, the same place where Harry and Markle had their engagement photos taken.
