LONDON — The Duchess of Sussex’s father, Thomas Markle, says his daughter cried when he told her he would not be able to attend her wedding to Prince Harry.
In an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Markle discussed his relationship with Meghan and his new son-in-law.
The 73-year-old former television lighting director said he broke the news that his health would prevent him from making the journey just days before the ceremony in Windsor Castle last month.
“Meghan cried, I’m sure, and they both said ‘Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you,'” he said.
“I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle,” said Markle, who watched the wedding from California, where he was recovering from heart surgery just days after allegations surfaced that he had staged photographs with the paparazzi.
“I realized it was a serious mistake,” he said of the photos. “It’s hard to take it back.”
Markle said Harry asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage over the phone and that he has had several conversations with the British royal.
“Harry got on the phone with Meghan — they called me together. Harry asked for her hand on the phone and I said, ‘you’re a gentleman. Promise me you’ll never raise your hand against my daughter.”
Markle said he also discussed the US President with Harry. “I was complaining I didn’t like Donald Trump. He said, ‘give Donald Trump a chance’. I sort of disagreed with that.”
When asked if he thought Harry was a Trump supporter, Markle replied, “I would hope not now, but at the time he might’ve been.”
On the subject of the UK leaving the European Union, or Brexit, Markle said: “It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment for it. I think he was open to the experiment.”
Markle said he still hadn’t met any members of the family his daughter has married into.
“It’s going to have to work out for them and me as well. I know they are very busy,” he said. “I would love to meet the Queen. I have had respect for that woman since I was a child.”
