Thomas Markle reportedly will not attend royal wedding after allegedly staging paparazzi photos.
Meghan Markle's dad is reportedly skipping the royal wedding.
According to TMZ, Thomas Markle suffered a heart attack six days ago but checked himself out of the hospital so that he could attend Meghan and Prince Harry's nuptials.
However, the website notes that Thomas will no longer be walking Meghan down the aisle on Saturday following a recent photo controversy.
ET has reached out to Thomas for comment.
Over the weekend, Meghan's father was accused of staging paparazzi photos after he was photographed at an internet cafe researching the royal couple. According to TMZ, Thomas regrets taking the photos, calling them "stupid and hammy," and will not be attending the wedding because he doesn't want to embarrass his daughter or the royal family.
On Monday, Meghan's half-sister, Samantha, claimed while on the British talk show Loose Women that she was behind the photos that were allegedly staged of Thomas, and said her intention was to "benefit the royal family that everyone looked good and they depict you as you are."
“Let me clarify, he’s 73, which makes him a bit more fragile,” she said of her father. "He’s a quiet man. I feel that the media have unfairly preyed on him. He’s really been admirable about laying low and not speaking out, with all due respect. I merely wanted him to be seen in a respectable light. I didn’t feel that was being done so I suggested that the photographers show him as he is, doing positive things and that was never addressed.”
Earlier on Monday, ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with British TV personality Piers Morgan, who is also an editor-at-large at the Daily Mail, about the allegations against Meghan's dad.
"It's really embarrassing, to be honest, because for the last few weeks the British press in particular have been warned off Thomas Markle, Meghan's father, told to leave him alone," Morgan pointed out. "Now we discover that the reason for this is he's been colluding with a paparazzi in Mexico and staging pictures and presumably making money from them. So, mortifying for the royal family, enraging for Meghan Markle."
Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, is expected to attend the wedding. Here's more on what the actress and the royal family are up to in lead-up to the big day:
RELATED CONTENT:
