Personally, I’ve never bought the narrative that the Middletons are the happiest and most tight-knit family in all of England. I think Kate is extremely close to her mother, for sure. But I think Carole and Mike’s marriage has been under strain for years, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Pippa and James feel left out or ignored by Carole’s need to micromanage Kate’s life. Why do I bring this up? Because I’ve been thinking a lot about the happy-family image that the Middletons projected throughout Kate and William’s courtship, and how that image helped them. Comparisons will be drawn, inevitably, between Kate and Meghan Markle. And Meghan and her family will be found wanting.
As Meghan’s half-siblings continue to behave like a–holes, I worry that Meghan’s dysfunctional family will be used against her for years to come. I don’t know if she has much of a relationship with her father at this point, but I do know she’s close to her mother. So… is she even going to invite her father to the wedding? Us Weekly says she wants her mom to walk her down the aisle.
New rules. The royal wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is just months away, and the couple are shaking things up in a big way. A source close to the pair tells Us Weekly that the actress wants her mother Doria Radlan to be the one to give her away.
The Suits actress, 36, is breaking tradition and wants her mom to walk her down the aisle instead of her father, Thomas Markle. “With the wedding, they both want to do things their way. While they will always be mindful of traditions and the views of their elders, the day is ultimately about them and what they want to do,” the insider tells Us. “The day of the wedding itself will certainly hold a few unconventional surprises. Don’t expect a royal wedding by numbers. They want to involve their friends and family as much in as much as possible throughout the day.”
The source adds: “I’ve heard that Meghan wants her mother to walk her down the aisle, which would be a sweet moment.”
A Palace source also tells Us that the duo will continue to do things their way on their big day: “Harry has never been one to follow instructions and both he and Meghan are extremely independent individuals. I wouldn’t imagine for one second that they plan to sit back and be told what to do — and they won’t.”
The insider adds: “Their romance feels refreshingly modern and I think that’s something that everyone at Kensington Palace has felt incredibly excited by.”
If her mother was her only living parent, I don’t think this would be any kind of big deal. But considering her father is alive, it does seem… pointed and dysfunctional, right at the very moment that the Windsors want their image to be about a functional and loving family. I mean, very few of us are in a position to judge – I suspect many of us have family drama, petty squabbles with brothers and sisters or cousins or aunts and uncles. Most of us have divorce in some branch of our families, and most of us have relatives we would never invite to our weddings. Maybe that’s the kind of mundane, relatable drama that Meghan brings to the table. Duchesses, they’re just like us: they are beefing with their dad too.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
If this fanfic from us weekly ends up being true i doubt this will be a big story and that people will care. I think its sweet tbh and will likey do the same thing when I get married. The people who came in hating meghan will find a problem with whatever she does, the people who are neutral or like her wont care about this.
Exactly. Add to that Harry’s not even met him by this time… doesn’t speak of a close father-daughter relationship (at least to me).
I don’t see anything wrong with a mother walking her daughter down the aisle, but considering Meghan is a fully functioning adult THIRTY SIX YEAR OLD WOMAN, here is a novel thought: She can get herself down the aisle. Or better yet, why can’t she and Harry meet at the top of the aisle and walk down that “first life path” together? That would be pretty symbolic of two adults coming together to begin a new life, rather than a parent “giving away” an adult female.
Either way, I can’t wait for this wedding! Let the Elvi FLY!
I walked myself down the aisle at my 1989 wedding. Dad was alive but didn’t attend (his decision), Mom was present and we were on fine terms, but I was 29 years old and had been living on my own for more than a decade. Nobody needed to “give me away.”
I feel the same way as you about someone giving someone away. Seriously she is 36 years old she doesn’t need someone to give her away.
Now that I think about it the whole custom seems gross, it’s like here you go, she was once controlled by me, now here’s your chance to be in charge of her.
My husband wanted to walk down with both parents, and I had none there (by choice) so I walked with some wonderful older cousins. Each set stopped halfway and we walked the rest of the way together. It all felt very sweet. There are many ways to choreograph this dance.
But yeah, even with good family ties I wouldn’t have done the father-daughter giveaway. Would have felt like a prize in a sweepstakes.
I had both my parents do it.
It’s her wedding, no matter how old she is, she may want to honor her mother. I think it’s sweet.
My husband and I walked down the aisle together. That was the only way that made real sense to me. We are both getting married. We’re doing this thing together.
If she wants her mother, then that is who should walk her down the aisle. They are having a smallish (by royal standard) wedding in St. George Chapel. It’s not Westminster Abbey & a seat of the Anglican Church.! her life will be one of “duty” after marriage so let her have who she wishes.
I’m a little tired of the Meghan/Duchess comparison. One shall be the next Princess of Wales and the other will have a lovely life with much more freedom. I think both women want/wanted the royal life so best wishes to both.
Me too. My sperm donor missed this opportunity when he walked out of our lives when I was an infant and even if I adore my mother I felt that waking myself down the aisle at 27 was a thing that I wanted to do and I did it even if my relatives were surprised.
Yes to the fact that Meghan is 36 years old,had her own life,money,career and all that.Royal tradition-who cares!SHE said yes to Harry and is completely capable of walking down the aisle alone(mom to give her away is FINE too)I think at her age and being a capable lady it would be great if she gave herself to Harry because that’s how it really is anyway.I would love to renew vows with my husband and I would love the chance to walk to him alone or with our daughter beside me.These aren’t the days of father presenting a teenage bride to some arranged husband where he “gives”her away plus giving the guy her dowry.Come on and let’s show some girl power at this time 🤗
Love your idea, Imqrious2!
I like the idea of her walking herself down the aisle. Me, personally, I’d prefer it if both parents would do it, but if I get married, I likely wouldn’t have a church wedding of this sort and the tradition wouldn’t factor into it. But if I did, both my mom and dad would walk with me.
I honestly think of Monica and Chandler’s wedding from Friends every time the topic comes up. Both of them were accompanied by both of their parents respectively, so that was a nice touch I thought. If you’re on good terms with both parents and not really attached to the tradition, why not?
@Imqrious2 I love your idea. It is very beautiful and makes sense. I would refuse to be “given away” by anyone, no matter if dad or mom, both of whom i love dearly, but at 30+ I am too old for this kind of stuff.
Even moreso, isn’t she divorced? The second marriage doesn’t have to have any of that stuff – not that the first one does, either.
I had both my parents walk me down. It was still a bit of a concession to the whole “giving away” thing, which I hate, but I saw it more as they are my support and the people who made me who I am. Also, if I was estranged from my father, there’d be no way I’d ask just because of “tradition.” This isn’t that big a deal.
Agree, it’s not “giving away” in this day and age, it’s just a nice gesture.
I had both parents, but I did the honors with my husband at a gay wedding. The parents of the groom weren’t welcome. I don’t find it means anything else but sharing the moment with loved ones.
I like this gesture.
Lovely. I wondered if perhaps she might want her mother in addition to her father to walk her down the aisle; magazine articles are often not 100% correct. But I think whatever she wants should be fine; it’s their wedding.
This is actually the Jewish tradition! In a Jewish wedding both bride and groom are accompanied down the aisle by both of their parents.
Yes, Teach! I was raised Christian but married a Jewish guy — and my mom was so happy, because she immediately adopted the Jewish tradition of having both parents walk me down the aisle.
There is something very sexist to me about the tradition of the father walking the bride down the aisle. Why do we need one male to give away his daughter to the new male? If a bride wants to share the experience with her mother instead, then why not? Or with no-one? She’s not property owned by her father. I thought society had moved beyond this already.
There must be etiquette books covering this.
What does the bride do if there are two moms?
This would be the best news ever and the tgoughtbhad crossed my mind. Hope it happens
Yes. If on her big day her mother is who she feels most supported and safe with down the aisle, I’m so here for that. TBH I’ve started not reading the Meghan coverage and comments here, so bless you! You made my day, but I may avoid other comments and the other article. My friend’s boyfriend just returned from London and she told me she made him buy two of all the royal wedding stuff he could find, so she’s sending me some. I’m so excited. I hope they had a fun break for their two days away.
Good grief. It’s not the 1950’s. She can do whatever she wants. It’s not going to have any effect on the Windsors’ “image.”
I agree, forget William and Kate and/or Kate’s parents. This is about Harry and Meghan.
Another “source close to . . .”
That said, I was wondering about this, as well. I think if they really want to break with tradition in a nice way, Harry and Meghan should do what Maxima and Willem of The Netherlands did: come in together and walk each other down the aisle. Maxima’s father was persona non grata due to his ties to the oppressive Argentinian regime, so they just came down the aisle together. I think it’s a lovely idea, especially for two glaringly adult parties. She’s 36 and divorced, not a blushing ingénue, for heaven’s sake! So, this is an idea that I think breaks tradition in a very nice way.
In Sweden, it isn’t traditional for fathers to walk their daughters down the aisle, and when she married Daniel, Pss. Victoria broke with their tradition by asking her father to walk her down the aisle. She actually got some flak at the time from Swedish feminists for it.
This isn’t Kay Banks and Buckley Dunstan from the “Father of the Bride” of 1950s America.
They should walk each other down the aisle. Just sayin’ . . .
I’m not Swedish, but i am the kind of feminist who objects to fathers walking their daughters down the aisle and giving them away. The patriarchy of it all. It’s not cute and it’s not clever and it’s one tradition that needs to die.
I am here though for mothers giving daughters away simply because daughters were never their mother’s chattel in the way they were, and still are, in many societies.
And walking each other or simply by themselves up the aisle is very cute.
I’m someone who never changed their name, or anything – because I personally am proud of what I’ve done for my own name, as well as the people I looked up to growing up. Husband at first wanted me to take his name, but once he thought about it for a minute agreed it really didn’t matter to him.
I had my dad walk me because a) I find him somewhat calming and my nerves were waaaay up. and b) mom was super involved in a bunch of wedding stuff, and since I moved out of their house dad has sort of felt sidelined I think. So I wanted to include him that way. and c) If I had to suffer through a bunch of people staring at me, I was dragging someone along with me.
See, I want my father to walk me down the aisle. In a way I’ve always thought about it as I’m no longer his little girl (I’ve always been a daddy’s girl) and that it would now be the husband and me. I’ve never looked at it as giving away but more so sharing I guess. I feel like that’s how a lot of Dads see it; she’s no longer their little girl that they doted on and I’ve seen a lot of fathers get emotional because of how sentimental it is to them.
Great idea and I agree. It is an old-fashioned idea that the father must be the one who “gives away” the adult daughter as a bride, anyway. I’ve attended several weddings at which the mother or both parents or an aunt walked with the bride. One walked with her two siblings, while parents watched. Other weddings, the couple came in together. 2018. Do as you please.
If I could do it again, I would have both my parents walk me down the aisle. Not to “give me away,” but as a symbol of the family I was in and the family I was going to create.
I like the idea of Meghan’s mother walking her down the aisle. Her mother seems as though she is a rock. Or just walk down alone or with harry. Nothing ground breaking here. The news is trumpeting this up as “modern” and “groundbreaking” way too much!!
I love your idea about Harry and Meghan walking themselves down the aisle
Agreed. She should be able to get down the aisle under her own power – not her first wedding. Will she wear white again?
Glad she’s close to her mother but Dad picked up some slack too. She went to private schools. I do think 2 bankruptcies in Doria’s history are less than commendable.
The nasty older half-sister is estranged from everyone & has been for some time.
That’s how my husband and I did it too, walked down the isle together. Wouldn’t have done it any other way.
Haakon and Mette-Marit of Norway (the original MM!) also walked down the aisle together.
I think walking each other down the isle is brilliant.
I eloped. I wasn’t into any of the wedding traditions. My dad was pissed. Very traditional guy. When his older sister got married at 65 for the first time in her life, she had him walk her down the isle. I guess that generation was steeped in tradition, but it just seemed like an odd situation to me. Sixty-five and “being given away” by her brother.
I don’t think it was Swedish feminists specifically–the Swedish people in general were unhappy about the decision, so CP Victoria compromised in the way that she did.
Personally, I always thought her father was an enormous stick in the mud who didn’t care much for her. He made it abundantly clear what he thought of her becoming Crown Princess after the law changed. It’s a shame, because as much as I love CP Victoria, I always got the impression that she is always eager for her parents’ approval, and the whole “my dad should walk me down the aisle thing” was another example of that. :/
In Scandinavia it is customary for the couple to walk down the aisle together. Actually, the father giving the bride away is something quite recent here, or maybe it is a very old tradition which has been revived , but traditionally and in most weddings nowadays too it is either the bride and groom together, or in some cases the bride alone, and her husband-to-be is waiting for her at the altar, or half-way up the aisle.
Seems odd to leave the father out considering it was his job success and income that gave her the best start in life and private education. If she wants her mother included maybe both parents should walk her down the aisle?. Maybe dad could walk her half way and mother could walk her the rest of the way or visa versa? This seems more modern and less dysfunctional and ungrateful.
Giving money to your child isn’t all a father is there to do…we don’t know their relationship so I think it’s unfair to call her ungrateful. My father was a shit person and I wouldn’t want him to walk me down the aisle….he had no problem giving me money for my education and what not but he was no dad. Judgemental, degrading, spiteful, and angry..that was my dad. Maybe Meghan is in a similar situation.
Plus…who gives one damn about a father giving away his daughter at her wedding, that’s a tradition that should be thrown out the window.
This. Money giving a parent does not make. In fact, from my experience, it was a way for them to buy themselves some felling good time as in “see, I paid so much for her whatever, I’m a good parent, doesn’t matter I never was there to hug, comfort, kiss, support, etc.” Thanks but no, thanks.
My understanding is Harry hasn’t met her dad yet, which leads me to believe that she and her dad are not on the best of terms. He also hasn’t done a great job on reigning in his other kids to stop talking to the press, if he’s tried at all. Her siblings go on and on about what a great childhood she had, while in the same interviews admit that the “n” word was tossed around when she was a child. My guess is it didn’t seem all that rosy to Meghan.
I don’t feel huge affection for my own dad for various reasons, and my mom was really the one who did all the hard work of raising me, so I had them both walk me down the aisle. Meghan should do what feels right.
Wouldn’t Meghan’s siblings be in or near their 50’s? Maybe he’s estranged from them, or realized they’re beyond hope. My mom hasn’t been able to rein me in for a couple of decades now.
It’s Meghan’s choice how much or little her father is involved in her wedding, but it’s a shame that flaming racist Princess Michael will be smugly present.
How do you suppose he should reign in his adult children? Dislike him for whatever reason but to blame him for the kids going rogue is ridiculous. Do we blame the Queen for Charles’ tampon scandal?
@klc By asking them to not talk about Meghan in the press. It seems that the two siblings like and respect their dad, since they have both defended Meghan’s upbringing and childhood in the press. I’m assuming here that if an adult child likes and respects their parent, that would comply with a reasonable request (not selling out your sister seems pretty reasonable to me). So, it seems to me that Tom Markle Sr. hasn’t bothered to ask his older kids to shut their traps.
Or maybe he has, and 2 of the 3 children he raised are just raging narcissists, which doesn’t exactly reflect well either.
This tells me that she is estranged from him and judging from the other kids it is a possibility the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. They seem like trash people.
Her parents divorced when she was very young, and that tells me it was something dire. There are several clues.
She didn’t grow up with the others, and they are exaggerating their knowledge of her which says she hardly knows them. That isn’t the sign of the joint parent being heavily present.
He hasn’t met Harry.
My parents met my husband when we became serious because they are essential to me and we are close. If my parents didn’t like him I would have listened but they loved him, and now he fits right in.
Meghan doesn’t care what he thinks or if they get along. They are PR glossing it over, but then it isn’t our business since it is her mother’s situation before it is Meghan’s.
Yuck. My dad provided a home and food and clothing for the first sixteen years of my life, too, but he was also a raging abusive a-hole and I lived every day of it in abject misery. Not only did he not walk me down the aisle, he wasn’t even invited. We don’t know what her private family situation was like. Maybe she has good reasons not to include him in this role in her wedding.
Exactly! Thank you for a voice of reason! Honestly, how is it possible in a modern society to suggest that death would be the only good reason for a parent to not be a part of the event? That it is dysfunctional to not invite the father with whom Meghan clearly has no good or close relationship and most probably has very good reasons for it which we are not entitled to know. Which century do we live in? Honest to god… mind blowing to assume she MUST invite her father because he is alive. Huh. I’d have never invited one of my parents, it was my mother in law who did and she never was in my “good guys book” for it. Let people have the freedom to admit and face their relationships as they are. Not all is simply bickering. Sometimes a so called parent is downright harmful.
Mine was an abuser as well.
He wasn’t even invited. My mother was but she’s disabled.
Walked down the aisle by myself 🙂
Her father providing for his child does not make for father of the year. She’s his child and he’s supposed to provide gor his child. She doesn’t owe him anything. It is clear that her mother and her family raised her. If she wants her mother to give her away, then that should happen.
Maybe this is her father’s decision and he doesn’t want to be part of the spotlight. He’s a private citizen who has been tracked down, had unsolicited pictures taken of him and his oldest children won’t stop talking to the press, making their dysfunctional family business front page news.
I’d like to think that is the case, rather than her being estranged from just about everyone other than her mother. I get that there are plenty of good reasons to be estranged from shitty people – so if that’s the case, that’s good too. It’s just sad if ALL those people in her world were shitty humans.
Dysfunctional and ungrateful? You’re clearly superimposing your values over those of others. Her father didn’t purchase her autonomy when he provided for her, as any good parent should. Talk about patriarchy.
Providing for your child makes you not a deadbeat. I would like to think that societal standards of good parenting would be a little higher than that.
Squiggisbig
Exactly!!
I also stared at the dysfunctional and ungrateful classification of the life and relationship between two people we know nothing or very little about. More so, instead of encouraging children and grown up children to finally feel free and supported to not feel guilty to admit their parent(s) were less than stellar human beings, we do exactly the opposite by continuously letting such remarks and classifications in the media. It is very sad.
Doesn’t her father have some health problems?
@Maria that’s what I was remembering too. He doesn’t seem to be in the best of health, we know he has financial problems, and he just seems to be struggling generally. It was also reported that all of the attention on him since the engagement was very difficult for him to handle.
For all we know, he and Meghan have a perfectly fine relationship but this would be incredibly stressful for him so she’s respecting that and she’s close to her mom so it works out.
We really don’t know the truth. But I wouldn’t necessarily immediately jump to an estrangement or anything like that just because he’s (allegedly) not walking her down the aisle. The worldwide scrutiny might just be too much for him and she doesn’t want to put him through it.
That’s such a gross viewpoint. He should walk her down the aisle because he paid for the privilege?
Seems kind of old fashion to assume only the father can walk the bride down the aisle.
Everything about the royal family is old fashioned.
I find it’s still the norm. Patriarchy isn’t even close to drawing it’s dying breath. And there are plenty of women who revel in patriarchal “tradition”.
+1
Her family on her dad’s side seem like a mess, if the siblings he sired (hello Clint Eastwood!) are any indication. We don’t know what her relationship with her dad is like but we do know that she is tight with her mother, why shouldn’t she walk her down the aisle? I think that it is an acknowledgement of the fact that her mother supported her throughout her life, why disregard that just to keep up appearances and to adhere to some antiquated tradition. Also, if one is on the lookout for a dysfunctional family than one needs to look no further than the BRF. Remember, her soon to be father-in-law wished to be a tampon so that he could be inside his mistress, #neverforget. As um, “rowdy” as Meghan’s siblings may seem I doubt they’ve ever stooped that low.
He didn’t wish to be a tampon. He made a joke about being flushed away like a tampon, and the media twisted his words to claim that he wanted to be a tampon.
Transcripts of the conversation are available online.
*shudders* A distinction without an impactful difference.
He did say he wanted to live inside Camilla’s “trousers”
Enough Already: i didn’t write out the full conversation so to you the distinction has no impactful difference, but i suggest read up the transcripts yourself.
That pertinent part of the conversation was where they were discussing how much they wanted to have sex. He longed to be inside her trousers all the time (paraphrasing).
Then added that with his luck, he would comeback as a tampon and be flushed away (paraphrasing).
That’s a funny story, LAK. Charles comments would have made me laugh. I didn’t know that’s how the conversation went.
LAK
Yes, I’ve read the transcripts. To clarify, I found the entire exchange to be a juvenile and indelicate way to express desire for and appreciation of partner intimacy. That’s what has appalled me, even while disliking the fact that the conversation was leaked in the first place. Lots of distaste to go around.
Thank you LAK! I’ve never seen the transcripts and the paper tabloids at the time seriously misquoted.
I wonder how we would feel if one of our intimate phone conversations was hacked and shared with the world.
THIS.
People forget that this was a sexy conversation between 2 lovers not expecting to be recorded and transcribed across the world.
It’s one of those things that makes you wonder if the poster has never had a sexy conversation with their SO and how they would feel if it was blasted out to the world, misinterpreted, and repeated ad naseum as a character flaw.
People are weird about sex and talk about it as if it is naughty. I think the shock was to think of Charles as a goer.
We are supposed to “get over” The cost of Meghan’s dress but remember a private, hacked conversation from 30 years ago?
My parents separated when I was three and while I had a good relationship with father during childhood things imploded in my teens. So by the time I got married there was zero question of him walking me down the aisle. I ultimately walked down the aisle with husband because we were starting our new life together and my father ‘giving me away’ would have just felt phony and not true to my real experience.
So if Meghan feels like her mother actually had a bigger impact on her life and someone HAS to give her away yeah, it should definitely be someone she feels comfortable with.
No shade and all the understanding from me.
I come from a highly dysfunctional family (as does my husband) & my husband & I walked in together. It felt good on many levels. Our parents both participated in the ceremony but not by walking down the aisle. M & her father may have a good relationship but this might not be something he wants either…
I suspect her dad has been largely absent from her life, and while maybe he means well in his way, he does not have a functional relationship with his daughter. Why force something to happen that doesn’t represent reality and is not, in fact, healthy?
I don’t know about her adult life, but didn’t she say she was always on the set of Married with Children? That show ended when she was sixteen.
That was 20 years ago. A lot happens in 20 years.
Of course, but spending regular time with a parent for your first sixteen years isn’t “largely absent from her life”. It sounds more like an estrangement or distancing in adulthood.
She spent Thanksgiving in 2016 with both parents. Posted the pic on Instagram. One of her few posts after the relationship with Harry was revealed. So maybe we can chill on psychoanalyzing her relationship with her father.
Well said Royal Suitor! Meghan DID spend Thanksgiving last year with BOTH parents, in fact I actually thought it was Xmas 2016. It was at this point that I knew she was going to marry Harry. The three of them spending time together was an indication that Meghan wanted, maybe for the last time, to have some quality time with BOTH parents together, knowing that her life was soon to change quite radically. Also her parents though divorced, are apparently are on friendly terms.
I don’t know the authenticity of this story about Doria walking her down the aisle but I think it really does continue to throw up questions, not about Meghan’s relationship with her father but more about what he has been doing in Mexico, his health, his status and his ability/eligibility to travel to the United Kingdom. I just think that there are more stories to come out unfortunately.
The middletons are not the first to project a happy family image and they won’t be the last. I really hope Kate and Meghan become close friends, just to piss off everybody that wanted to compare the two, or wanted some weird fight between them. No one will care if this story is true except the people who would find beef in anything Meghan does anyway.
I would love for this to be true. Kate and Meghan will be in a very exclusive club, and maybe they can get together and make fun of Princess Racist. But then I hope that Jennifer and Angie get together a la Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor, and commiserate.
+1 to everything you said.
I personally don’t see the big deal. It’s been Meghan and her mom for the majority of her life. Yes, her dad is alive and well, but he hasn’t been present every single day like her mom. I think it would be a tremendous honor for Doria and one that Harry would support. And for all that that the Middletons are portrayed as normal, they have dysfunction running up and down their ranks too. Same with any family tbqh.
My sister had my mother walk her down the aisle. And my father was there at the wedding. It was a pointed statement, but a meaningful one – my mother did the work of raising us, so she gets the honor of giving her away. My father didn’t kick up a fuss about it, he knew better, and I hope Meghan’s family checks themselves for once the same way.
i am getting tired of this over-extensive coverage of Meghan and Harry on this site. There is a lot of interesting gossip that doesn’t get mentioned because of that.
Like what?
Tanguerita
Yet you’re here…
Yes, I am here, on this page, being a long-time reader and commentator. and yes, I found it appropriate to leave a comment under this particular article, because this the forth pieece about Meghan and Harry this year, even though there are no actual news about them. (unless you count the fanfic above).
And yes, we could talk about Logan Paul, or Netflix, or Steve Bannon, or Chrissy Teigen, who took down the obnoxious Liz Crokin. I am not saying we have to, just that there is no need (IMHO) to cover every dumb thing a psychic from Australia said on TV.
@Tanguerita, I”m with you. A freakin’ psychic, a made-up story from US Weekly from a supposed source, that is not even believable a source, someone in her close circle, would spill.
+1000 @Tanguerita
I get the interest. I’m interested but when there’s no actual news why pretend there is. Still point taken @notasugarhere, I wouldn’t read articles about psychics and concocted US Weekly fanfic if it came up in a Google search so no need to read it here.
You are free at any time not to read any story posted here.
There are plenty of us who like the royal coverage, in fact we’d like to see it expanded to other royal families!
Welp…if this is true, this CONFIRMS that MM has been raised with a LOT OF BLACK CULTURE!!! Black folks have ALWAYS done this…I’ve gone to COUNTLESS weddings where Mama walked her Daughter down the aisle and Daddy sat right there…and it didn’t even mean that the Bride had a bad relationship with her Daddy, or that the Parents were even seperated…for a LOT of Black women…we want the person to walk us down the aisle…to be the person that helped us SURVIVE! The one that we can’t breathe without…the one that forms us into the grown-up we are…Heck, I’ve seen Uncles/Aunts/Grand-Parents walk Black Brides down the aisle with their Parents, who were in their lives…sitting right there…so for me…this makes a whole lotta of sense!
Yeppers!!!
I love this comment, it is TRUTH!!!
This has nothing to do with black culture but everything to do with personal experience.
I’m black- my wedding and every black wedding I’ve been to have had the Dad walk the bride down the aisle. Here’s the kicker- my anecdotal evidence doesn’t cancel your anecdotal evidence and vice versa. The couple needs to do what works for them.
Thank you @lalafor bring the black culture up. I was too lazy to make the point here and have to ‘explain’. I think the mere fact that her mom is the black parent just reinforces that. I bet you anything she wraps her hair at night.
I see it more as she was close with her family growing up. After college and working and living in Canada she probably hasn’t had much of a relationship with them. It happens. Maybe they were nasty(like they are being now) and thought she owed them her tv series money?! Maybe they were toxic and she cut them out? I mean her dad is living as a recluse in Mexico..not that easy to stay connected with. Most women, like myself, are very close with their mothers. If that is the person she has the good relationship with, do it.
The whole idea of being given away derives from women being treated as property and literally given from one man to another. If people want to keep it alive in some form it makes more sense to have both parents walk bride and groom down the aisle.
Both of my parents will be walking me down the aisle when I get married in May. They got divorced when I was 2 but have both had an equal hand in raising me and have stayed the closest of friends. It’s my way of showing everyone how much they both mean to me.
Yep, that is how I would like it, too.
Why should she invite people she’s not close to to her wedding parent or not?
I feel she respects and loves him enough to say nice things about him but it speaks volumes that she didn’t try to make sure Harry met him. Mexico isn’t that far from Cali he could’ve flew there one weekend to see his child and her man.
Let’s not forget about the war of the Wales family problems on both sides.
The royal family already knew about this homegirl been vetted already. As much as Harry likes do his own thing he’s well aware that a serious scandal could mess up their cushy useless lifestyle. As much as he loves her she’s not worth giving that up for.
I’ve been to a few weddings where the mother walks the bride…and the father is still around.
I was wondering if she would even have Prince Charles do it, if she really did fall out with her dad…but I actually think she is fine with him and that these siblings don’t know jack. If he doesn’t do it, I think it may be more about him being a recluse more than anything.
There was some article about how the brother and dad don’t know if they are invited. They seem less bitter than the sister so not sure if she has the same issues with them or not.
Again this is why I found the comments Harry made in poor taste. This is a can of worms she should not have to deal with
I wonder who walked her down the aisle at her first wedding, mom or dad. Did dad attend that ceremony?
I hate the whole nation of “giving women away.” We are not chattels or donations. When I get married, my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel will escort me to the altar. As I have told my fiancé repeatedly, I know for sure my dog is the one man who will always love me.
Okay! Fellow Cavvie mom here; I love this idea.
By the time I got married at 41, my parents had been divorced for 25 years, and I had more or less raised myself and my younger siblings. I’d been supporting myself as a lawyer for years by then. My father was a wonderful man, and my parents got along well for most of the years after their divorce, so everyone attended my wedding. No drama, there. But, I walked myself down the aisle. It was unthinkable, even ridiculous, to me and my husband that our parents pay for anything or that I’d be “given” to him in marriage. It was a beautiful occasion, and no one raised an eyebrow.
I don’t like this “the father walks her down the aisle” stuff. It’s so antiquated and silly. Using you mother doesn’t make it better.
A grown up woman playing little girl.
Meghan is 36 and divorced which makes this even more dumb. I mean her dad already “gave her away”. So who is in charge now: her ex-husband?
Plead walk with Harry together like a modern woman.
One of my friends wanted to walk with her dad because she had seen it in so many american shows and movies. The pastor refused! The pastor! He told her “WTF why do you want that? That’s not a modern german custom and it’s 2014. All couples enter and leave my church together.”
In the end she got her wish somehow as both parents walked her down the aisle.
I may have been inclined to tell the pastor I was going elsewhere to get married!
It depends:
– parent gives way daughter like property which happened when marriage was a property transaction of family wealth including human bodies.
– parent accompanies daughter during her journey. I am not sure that walking down the aisle alone through a crowed is that comfortable.
I suspect that Meghan did chose her mother for pr reasons. A black mother giving away her daughter is much better pr than an old white father giving away his daughter.
I think I will prefer my whole family to walk down the aisle with me so that it is clear that my family is part of the deal. And should dear future husband intend to misbehave I will give him the complete record of my families martial arts accomplishments. Just to make sure.
Does anyone have an ID on her bag in that last picture? I’m in love with it; the structure is my favorite and the color is lovely!
I think the logo is ‘Strathberry’ so their website should have it. In fact, having checked the same picture is on the front page of the website.
Thank you! I have some Christmas cash plus some savings and have been needing to look at new bags (I was recently mugged, so I’m not bragging on my purse shopping; I literally don’t have one). I’ll have to take a look. You made my morning!
OMG Elimaeby, so sorry to hear that! Were you hurt?
No, not at all. It was more scary than anything. I’m not even sure if he had a weapon because I’ve always been told that you can replace the things and not your safety. I live in Chicago, so it’s not terribly uncommon. The only really hard part has been trying to get a new ID because I was stupid and neglected to do it when I moved her last year. My out-of-state ID was still valid for four more years, so I put it off. Now I have to provide every legal document I’ve ever been issued. I have just gone though a divorce, so the name change is especially sticky. The purse buying is the only upside, really haha. Thank you for your concern, though. This is such a great community. <3
I don’t get the big deal how non traditional it is if her mother walks her down the aisle. It’s not like it’s her first time to get married.
If I could go back and do it again, I would’ve had my paternal Grandma walk with me, or done it by myself. If I’m being honest, my wedding stunk. I don’t know what the hell my problem was, but I guess I thought way too inside the box and didn’t even realize that I could do whatever the hell I wanted and didn’t have to follow any tradition. I think what caused me to give up was the fact that my husband-to-be told me that the only thing his mother asked was that we marry in a Catholic church which I, for some ungodly reason, agreed to which poo-poo’d any ideas that I had because they said no to all of it. It’s funny because now, almost 10 years later, my husband claims that that was never the case. Well, I sure as hell didn’t come up with that idea! Both sets of my grandparents are/were pretty Catholic so I’m sure they were happy about it too, but I never thought about what I’d be happiest about. =( I’m glad my brother didn’t follow in my footsteps with his wedding. Sorry for the rant, I’ve been thinking about it a lot lately for some reason.
Wow her mother is a beautiful woman.
He seems like a recluse-living in a beach town in Mexico minding his own business. He may not be able to deal with this over the top wedding. I can see Meghan being in touch by phone but not physically seeing him. He seems a bit odd.
I’m here for it. Aren’t her parents divorced? You are not your family, especially if you’re grown and have been making your own life for some time. A toxic but distant family is much better than toxic dysfunctional “closeness”. My mom walked me because my dad was an abusive asshole (he had just died after years of no contact but he was not going to be part of anything). My sister walked herself for the same reason and wanted my mom to walk her but she wasn’t emotionally able to deal with the aftermath of bucking tradition at the time. I honestly think Megan can influence Harry a lot about cutting off toxic people (re:Princess Michael) but the establishment will tie their hands because “traditionnnnnn”.
My mom escorted me down the aisle. She did not give me away, but was there by my side, like she always was when I needed her. Meghan should do as she pleases.
If folks don’t want Meghan and Kate compared, perhaps don’t compare them yourselves? Even this article, a big chunk discusses thoughts on the Middleton’s even though they have nothing to do with MM.
I absolutely hate the idea of a woman being ‘given away’ and walked into our wedding ceremony with my own soon-to-be-husband over 30years ago. And both my parents were there. Meghan should do whatever feels right. I expect her father may choose not to attend if he doesnt like to be in the public eye.
Meghan seems to be extremely close to her mother. She visited her a lot in Toronto.
They were often papped together. Doesn’t mean the father was in any way negligent.
I wouldn’t blame Meghan for not inviting her awful half-siblings. Also, her dad doesn’t seem the type who’d be comfortable attending such a high-profile event. Probably best if her mother represents the family alone.
I am so tired of these antiquated rules for weddings.
It is the bride and groom’s day to shine To be happy. If she wants her mom or her best friend or her dog to walk her down the aisle, so be it.
Yes I know Royalty has rules. But rules can be changed.
My ex’s parents got so controlling during the planning of our wedding, we just got married at a JP’s.
It was worth it.
🙂
And therein lies the problem with crusty old traditions. And weddings are full of em.
her father was absent for her first wedding too…. hmm though she grew up on his sets as per her iterviews- she got an entry into showbiz via hum and then her 1st husband..
because it must be malicious gold digging on meghan’s part instead of her father choosing to live a reclusive life, right?
you’re so transparent, ann.
Father didn’t attend his own daughter’s wedding? What kind of family is that?
Sane people tend to cut toxic people out of their lives instead of putting on the happy family image.
Allegedly they are on good terms and daddy helped her get into acting.
Sane people ignore the bitchy aunt and the grumpy uncle at family gatherings for the sake of the family.
Not all families fit the same mold. People are quick to call non traditional families dysfunctional, but sometimes they are just different. Are nuclear families who faithfully carry out traditions all deleriously happy?
Ok, so this has finally done it for me. As a British subject I was rooting for Meghan and Harry but was shocked by the £56k dress, annoyed by Harry’s uneccesary faux pas about Meghan’s family, and fed up with the little frightened girl act on the Christmas church walk.
I’m not impressed. If she wants a big white wedding (which she does, even though she’s divorced) then she should pay some lip service to tradition in the UK Church of England to which she wishes to convert. There, it is traditional for the father of the bride to give her away. She says herself that her dad did so much for her while she was growing up, so why not acknowledge him now? Make no mistake, most people in the UK will see this as a major insult to her father. It is well known that Princess Diana had a terrible relationship with her father but he was proud to walk her down the aisle.
Does Meghan have no PR savvy or Royal savvy bone in her body? The best way to keep her family from talking to the press is to include them in her celebrations. It is not only the most classy move to show some sort of forgiveness, it is likely the best way of getting them to stop talking to the press.
I imagine there will be an outcry from Father’s for Justice, an organisation that campaigns against fathers being left out of their children’s lives, as well as a major backlash from the more traditional members of society who generally support the monarchy.
If she wants to become a member of the Royal family then she needs to up her game. She doesn’t need to cause more controversy; we are pretty sick of her already. Perhaps she should seriously consider a registry office wedding like Prince Charles if she is going to muck around with precedence and tradition.
Or perhaps she should just think again about marrying into the Royal Family. She is obviously not cut out to respect Royal protocol so she is just setting herself up for a rotten life.
Her father isn’t black. Her mother is.
Stupid pr games, that is what it is.
If she wanted to honour her parents why not let both of them lead her down the aisle? Now that would be modern.
How is the father walking her down the aisle religious tradition? It has literally nothing to do with the Church Of England, and is instead meant to signify the transfer of property (the Bride) from one owner (her father) to the other (her new husband).
So she suppose to fake like she’s close to her father because princess Diana did it?
To your point Jaci about how the British would not react Well, it’s very possible Meghan’s people floated this story to try to gauge British public opinion.
You are probably right. I wonder if there are discussions going on with the palace courtiers who are counselling caution and Megan thinks she doesn’t need to listen and then drip feeds info to the American press to try and get some support. If so, it’s backfiring. Also, the American support doesn’t really matter. The Royal family need UK support, so if the vibes from th Daily Mail are bad then the palace will get jitters.
@Jaci….Would you be shocked if you discovered that her engagement ring is worth more than £56K?
How do you know Diana had a ‘terrible’ relationship with her father, we all have fall outs with our parents at times but it does not always mean the relationship was terrible. Diana had difficult relationships with lots of people for different reasons, largely because she was so famous to put it mildly.
How do you know she put on a frightened little girl act outside the church, you sound as though you are very heavily influenced by the Daily Dirt. The comments on DM online are not representative of the people of Britain, even though you would like them to be. Its like saying people who love Fox News are representative of all Americans.
When you say, ‘we a pretty sick of her already’ please speak for yourself and maybe the warriors on the Daily Dirt, which you quote. Do you really think that the Palace organises itself according to racist vibes from the Daily Dirt, some of the comments on there, and not just about Meghan stories, are quite disgusting and thoroughly reprehensible . I really pity and find it disturbing that people who want to use that awful media house, which has spent thousands of pounds trying to discredit Meghan while making money off her at the same time, as a standard bearer or Bible. Dreadful!
How do I know….
Firstly, it is well documented in pretty much every biography about Diana that she always felt unloved because her parents wanted a boy. It was common knowledge that she stopped talking to her father once he married ‘acid’ Raine. She also had real problems with her mother and stopped talking to her for years too. Diana also came from a broken home, but managed to invite both her parents to the wedding.
In terms of ‘we’. I am not speaking on behalf of the Daily Mail and I am certainly not racist. I am speaking on behalf of myself, my immediate family and my wider circle of friends. We are all pretty middle class, doctors, lawyers, managers, some are women of colour , and we are all shocked at the £56k dress. And also, we were originally keen on the Harry/Meghan match. She is the one who has caused the controversy. She had everything gong for her at th beginning.
Re the ring. I’ve heard it was more expensive than the one Will gave Kate (Princess Diana’s old ring) but in a way that deosn’t matter. The ring is for life, so we expect Harry to go out on a limb. The dress was for one photo shoot and as an evening dress it looked completely out of place and wasn’t greatly flattering.
You may think th DM is out to get Meghan but it pretty much reflects middle England’s sentiments. The Queen is savvy enough to realise that middle England is where most of her support comes from – it’s certainly not Guardian readers.
So if Meghan is to have a future in the Royal family she ought to take note.
@Jaci….I have read several Diana biographies and yes she had all kinds of difficulties but the ‘terrible’ relationship with her father as described by you puts it all out of proportion. The children all hated acid Raine at the beginning but Diana ended up having a warm relationship with Raine and with her father.
Do you REALLY think Meghan and Harry paid 56K for that dress? There was an arrangement we can only speculate about, and in the future we may discover a charitable angle to it. You may think the dress was unflattering, it did nothing for me but then again we are not the ones wearing it are we? It was her engagement pics and she wears what she likes as far as I am concerned.
The actual price of Diana’s ring is now irrelevant because its pretty much priceless as Meghan’s will probably be too.
I love the way you neatly side step any discussion of the overt and covert racism in so many of the DM comments about Meghan, which you say represents middle England, really? Do you think the Queen gets most of her support from DM readers?? The Queen I am sure does not read the comments on the Daily Dirt but if she did she would find them abhorrent like any decent person would.
You may be middle class and move in circles with doctors and lawyers but very many working class people also love the Royal Family as well as people from ethnic minorities and Meghan’s entry into the RF will highlight diversity, which is a very current topic in today’s Britain much to the anger of Brexit voters, many of whom follow and swallow everything the Daily Dirt dishes up to them.
Meghan DOES have a future with the Royal Family and the very last thing she needs to be is in obeisance to the Daily Mail, who have found in her a new cash cow, its click bait articles, and the relentless racism from so many of its ‘commentators’.
There is zero source letting us know what Meghan wants, period. Are people so clueless they think she wouldn’t be very tight-lipped about things like this? Some source goes to US Weekly to tell us something so personal like this, that could hurt her father, five months ahead of her wedding? Sure, Jan.
It is traditional in a Church of England wedding for the father to give the bride away. If she doesn’t want tradition, then why not get married in a registry office? Or just give the Royal family a miss altogether?
It has nothing to do with religion and the Church of England. nonsense.
@Jaci: how do you think that is a COE tradition? It has literally nothing to do with the Church of England.
The CoE broke with tradition when they ordained women. Did you rail against that too?
The only member of the Royal Family who pays any serious attention to the Church of England is the Queen. The others, including future heads of the church Charles and William attend twice a year. The church is losing members like crazy and it’s pitiful that neither Charles nor William seem to care.
From afar, it looks like this family doesn’t really have anything to do with each other. And her half-sister and brother need to STFU with their public begging for inclusion. Gross.
I see nothing wrong with MM walking down the aisle with her mother.
I truly wish my sweet father had been alive to walk with me, but my mother did and it was perfect.
I obviously have zero insider knowledge of Meghan’s family. But it appears she was raised by her mother, and I do know this: single mothers will ALWAYS be found lacking. I’m the single mother of two sons – one grown and in college and one 10-year-old who lives with me and sees his father maybe once or twice a year. Unfortunately, I get a lot of unwanted and unnecessary “sympathy” and comments about who will teach him to be a man and, “Well, maybe one day you’ll have a family.” Like two people (three including my grown son) can’t be a family, and we live like 7 miles from my parents. But single mothers will always be seen as lacking by some people. If (big if) this is even true, it makes me like Meghan even more for the shoutout to her mom.
I’m with you. I’m now “partnered” but also raising a son, similar age to your youngest and have heard much of those comments.
I like what Meghan’s doing. If she’s closest to her mom then her mom should be able to walk her down the aisle. It doesn’t have to be about the dad at all.
This is something that actually gives me legitimate anxiety. If I were planning a wedding, there are some family members I know I couldn’t invite (my brother for one) and I always wondered about what the reaction would be. I know that I’ll feel very sad about this when that day comes, but he has the potential to genuinely ruin it. As for Meghan, not gonna judge her on this one. Her relationship with her dad must be pretty bad if he’s not walking her down the aisle. But it’s beautiful that her mom will do it! I once read some advise column about this issue (dear abby or something) and she actually said don’t invite bad family.
Is it possible for a “tradition” that began as something gross, ie a man owning his daughter, her as chattel, etc to simply have evolved into something sweet between a father and a daughter? I don’t care at all who walks her down the aisle, I am genuinely asking the question.
My view is that it’s important to keep the origin of these sorts of things in mind rather than just saying it’s nice or tradition. I’m personally in favour of doing away with it, but if we want to change the meaning, then why not have the bride and groom both walk down the aisle with both their sets of parents (assuming both are around/involved)? I think the only way of getting around the origin is to apply the ritual to both men and women.
I’ve seen that done, actually. It was lovely.
I think it’s possible. People evolve and so do traditions. 🤷🏽♀️ Nothing wrong with whatever the bride wants and the couple is happy with.
I like to think so. I wanted to marry in my church nearly 30 years ago but was uncomfortable with some of the traditions — the vows, father giving me away, etc. The pastor worked with me and my fiancee and I ended up with a religious ceremony that celebrated my husband and I as equal partners in life. My father escorted me down the aisle and my mother lit the family candle. My mother-in-law lit her family candle and my new husband and I took the flame from the respective candles and jointly lit ours. I still have that candle. It’s in pride-of-place in our china cabinet, surrounded by wedding gifts we rarely use.
That sounds lovely, what kind of religious ceremony was it?
Methodist. One of the many Protestant offshoots.
For a lot of families, it’s become just a sweet father/daughter thing now. Personally, I still haven’t made a decision about what to do about it (my father and I have had a couple of comical conversations about it over the years) because even though we’re close, the cringeworthy origins of this tradition is still in my head.
I don’t care what people choose for themselves with this, but the ‘Do it or else you’re disrespecting people (and screw your own discomfort with the sexist origins or whatever else)! Because tradition!’ pressure on women is the problem. Funny thing is, if Megan does have her father walk her down the isle, her haters will be like “So much for her feminism.”
It’s her wedding and she and Harry will make the decisions. When my father was alive, I decided my Mom would walk me down the aisle if I ever got married because she raised me. Now that my father’s dead and my Mom has Alzheimer, my brother gets the job because he’s the best brother ever and always has been. The long & the short of it is it’s the bride’s choice period.
I think it should be the brides decision. My oldest sister had my paternal grandfather (father of 4 boys) walk her half way down the aisle because he had never experienced it and expressed a desire too, then my dad took over and walked her the rest of the way. It was touching and beautiful, and what she wanted.
That’s very sweet, koko.
Why can’t she have both of them walk her down the aisle? Or instead just walk herself down the aisle. I wonder who walked her down the aisle at her first wedding? I understand if she really wants her mom to do it instead but she’s only talked of her father in positive terms so I’d find it odd she’d exclude him from that tradition completely.
It’s such drama having to pick someone to walk you down the aisle. My uncle (not by relation but by marriage) was not asked to walk his daughter from his first marriage down the aisle and that really hurt him. His daughter had her grandfather do it instead. There’s a whole lot of backstory I won’t go into but I will say my uncle is a wonderful man who simply was cancelled from his daughter’s life by his first wife’s family. Due to that decision, he and my aunt didn’t attend her wedding and that led to a period of long estrangement. They are sort of back in touch but it is really touch and go since my uncle was simply not around much while his daughter was growing up due to being pushed out of her life by his ex so their relationship is very tenuous. I just think it makes more sense for the bride and groom to walk down the aisle together but that’s just me.
I wonder how many fathers were hurt by their daughter’s request to not have him walk her down the aisle? How many have agreed just to keep their child happy on their big day?
She was married once already. It’s rather ludicrous to have a parent walk her down the aisle. Again. (Here. Take my kid who’s pushing 40. Again. Make it stick this time.) Before you know it, someone will try to make her virginal as well to enhance the fairy tale. Which brings us to the wedding dress….
Or they want the parent/s they love and honour to be part of the happiest day of their lives?
Divorced Letizia had her father walk her down the aisle and she wore white in a big Catholic wedding. These two should do what they want on their wedding day, esp as they’ve already gone smaller with the expense and security headache by having it at Windsor.
I just hope she doesn’t cover her face with a veil. Show your face when you walk down the aisle. In Sweden, they walk down faces uncovered.
Very interesting to read so many comments on what she should do at HER wedding. I know this site has bitchy in the title, but some of y’all clearly aren’t starting this new year off with less judgment. Anyways…based off what has been said in the media, my family dynamic is kinda similar to Meg’s (just less public obvs), so I definitely get wanting her mom to walk her down the aisle and I would do the same if I could. No big deal.
This. Something about Meghan seems to turn people on this site into pearl-clutching prudes. Whatever could it be? Eyeroll.
Suddenly, no one knows a divorced person who had a second marriage in a church, wore white, and didn’t have their father walk them down the aisle. Everyone is an expert on Church of England traditions despite never having attending a single service or being of that denomination. 36 is also now old and barren and unsourced gossip is now gospel.
You know the adage women marry their fathers? It’s certainly not the case here. I think it’s a matter of pride for Tom Sr. His daughter is marrying way above the family and he may feel lacking. He does not want the scrutiny and the Markle name has become a joke mostly due to his older children. I don’t know this fact, just my opinion.
It’s not like she’s the only one in their relationship with divorced parents. I don’t know if her parents’ relationship and breakup were ugly and dysfunctional but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t as bad as Harry’s. Or his maternal grandparents’ divorce, for that matter.
The idea of a mother walking a bride down the aisle isn’t “dysfunctional”…good Lord! If that’s who you are closest to, and you want to be escorted down the aisle, you should be able to ask whomever you want. It’s a symbolic gesture of “who helped you get this far”, in my opinion.
Dysfunctional would be asking a father you don’t necessarily care for, and fighting the whole time. 🙄
No way I would have wanted my mother to walk me down the aisle. My father, fine.
Not everyone has good mothers.
Who knows of this is true?
She and Harry should make uptheir own minds on how to run their own wedding.
Some of the comments about her parents that are made on here are really disturbing. No wonder they are both low key and are staying away from the press.
Says only good things about their character.
I would like to see her walk down the aisle herself, or Harry meet her at the top and walk in together. She is a 36 year old woman who left the nest many years ago and who has been married to someone else in the meantime. She does not belong to anyone but herself, and no man should be giving her away. Her last “owner” was her former husband. No-one “owns” her now; she is giving herself in marriage. I would be disappointed if her father turned up and played the happy patriarchal role giving away his possession to her new owner. However, if she wants to share the moment with her mother and walk down the aisle with her, that would be fine IMO. Ultimately it is Meghan’s decision, of course, but I would not like to see her bow to tradition for the sake of tradition in her particular circumstances. I would think it would be laughable, and that would spoil the moment for me. But, again, it’s not my wedding.
Still struck by the irony of Harry suggesting his family is so desirable, when for years the narrative around William’s attraction to Kate was in large part due to her warm and ‘normal’ family and an escape from his dysfunctional one. Unless of course, by ‘the family she always wanted’ Harry means, rich and royal, which is entirely possible, lol.
@cynicalceleste – your take is a bit off. The most logical explanation for what he said is that she now has a large extended family. I have a close immediate family and have always longed for a large extended family with cousins etc. Celebrating occasions together. I think that’s quite nice and it seems that is what he meant.
My father is alive and was invited to my wedding. There was never any question who I would be walking down the aisle with – my mother. She brought me up. That is not dysfunctional in any way – it is non-traditional.
There are so many articles out there right now saying that Meghan’s mom is going to walk her down the isle. It almost is starting to sound like PR/damage control to me. I’m just starting to get the feeling that her dad won’t be at the ceremony. Maybe they’ll say it’ll be for health reasons or something else? I just think if both of her parents were going to walk her down the isle, that the articles would be stating that instead of just stating that her mom would walk her down the isle. I think if her dad is at the ceremony and just her mom walks her down the isle it would be sort of awkward. I know times are changing and getting more progressive, but it’s still sort of tradition that the father walks his daughter down the isle at her wedding. I guess we’ll wait and see. It’ll be 4 months of speculating unless they release some of the details beforehand.