In BBC One’s upcoming documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70, Prince Harry opened up about the moment he asked his father, Prince Charles, to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle at their May royal wedding after Markle’s own father was unable to attend.
“I asked him to and I think he knew it was coming, and he immediately said ‘Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs and I’m here to support you,’” Prince Harry said in the documentary, set to premiere Thursday, according to PEOPLE. “For him that’s a fantastic opportunity to step up and be that support, and you know he’s our father so of course he’s gonna be there for us.”
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Prince Charles walked the now Duchess of Sussex down the Quire of St. George’s Chapel and to the altar, where he shared a special moment with his son when Prince Harry turned and said, “Thank you, Pa.”
“You’ve gotta say thank you. Just because he’s my father that doesn’t mean I can just sort of go, ‘Okay, that’s all, I’ll take it from here,’” Harry said of the moment. “Err, no, that is what I wanted to say but erm…and I was very grateful for him to be able to do that.”
Just days before the May 19 nuptials, Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., was forced to pull out of doing the honors after he suffered a heart attack, Markle confirming the news via the Kensington Palace Twitter account. Prince Charles was then asked to do the honors, something that was announced in a subsequent statement just one day before Harry and Meghan tied the knot.
“Ms. Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St. George’s Chapel on her Wedding Day. The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way,” the announcement read.
For his part, Prince Charles was said to be “touched” by the gesture and was “very much looking forward to welcoming her into the family.”
Markle and Prince Charles have reportedly formed a close bond since she became engaged to Prince Harry, with a source having previously stated that “there is a real growing affection between Charles, Camilla and Meghan.” Now, the Duke of Cornwall is looking forward to welcoming his fourth grandchild, Harry and Meghan’s first child together, sometime in spring 2019, having toasted to the royal parents-to-be and their unborn child several time after learning of the news.