(ABC NEWS)- Meghan Markle is pleading with her father to still attend her wedding to Prince Harry on May 19 after he reportedly said he no longer wants to walk her down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel following a newspaper report in the U.K.’s Mail on Sunday that her father was involved staging photographs with a paparazzi photographer. Markle is reportedly said to be devastated at the prospect that her father might not attend her wedding.
Kensington Palace issued a statement Monday evening in the wake of the scandal.
“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” the statement read. “She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”
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It is understood that Kensington Palace was caught completely off guard after Thomas Markle Sr., 73, told TMZ that he doesn’t want to cause further embarrassment to his daughter and the royal family, and thought it best he avoid his daughter’s wedding.
Markle Sr. was due to meet his future son in law for the first time this week and was due to be introduced to Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate also ahead of the wedding, a meeting that could be particularly awkward given the scandal.
