The birth of the new royal baby sort of overshadowed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Monday appearance, so here are more photos from that event. Meg and Harry attended the memorial service of Stephen Lawrence, who was murdered in a violent hate crime in England 25 years ago. It was one of those rare moments where certain members of the royal family seemed especially sensitive to the issues of communities of color. But all anyone wanted to talk about was whether it was appropriate for Meghan to wear a sleeveless Hugo Boss dress. I say yes, for what it’s worth. Maybe I would have had stronger “nay” feelings about the dress if it was a funeral and not a memorial service. Maybe I would have had stronger feelings if it wasn’t reportedly very warm in London right now. The dress was seasonally and occasion-appropriate, I thought. Let’s protect Meghan’s right to bare arms.
But of course there’s lots of other gossip too. According to Katie Nicholl, Prince Harry and the royals might go out of their way to allow Meghan to “borrow” a piece of jewelry that Diana either owned or wore regularly (like, a piece that was part of the Royal Collection but which was given to Diana in her lifetime). Over the years, the Duchess of Cambridge has been “given” a few heirloom pieces which once belonged to Diana, besides the most famous piece, her engagement ring. I hope Meghan does get something from Diana’s collection, and I hope it’s something major! There’s some suggestion that Meghan will get the diamond and pearl earrings given to her by the Emir of Qatar.
There’s also a rumor that Harry has invited the entire Spencer side of the family to his wedding. Which is nice, although it could get awkward – I’m not sure the Spencers have ever been out in full force alongside the Windsors since Diana’s funeral. William did invite Diana’s sisters and the Earl Spencer, but he did not give them any major roles in the wedding. As for Meghan’s side of the family… well… Andrew Morton says that his sources are telling him that Meghan didn’t even invite her own FATHER. From Good Housekeeping’s interview with Morton:
“It would be very sad if the guest list overshadows the wedding. [Meghan’s half sister] Samantha … feels that some members of the Markle family should have been invited. It is ironic that a few days before the wedding, there will be a Markle Coat of Arms. Traditionally, that’s presented to the father. As I speak now, it’s not certain that he’s even going. I spoke to members of the Markle family over the weekend, and they said that not one Markle has been invited, and that includes the father. So, go figure… At the moment, he doesn’t seem to have his invitation. As far as I’m aware, he doesn’t have an air ticket accommodation, or anything else. It looks increasingly like it will be Doria Radlan (Meghan’s mother), who will walk her down the aisle.”
I don’t believe it. I mean, I believe that Morton’s sources are telling him that. But I don’t believe Meghan would just flat-out refuse to invite her father to her wedding. Maybe she took one look at those paparazzi photos of her dad looking at the Images of Britain picture book and decided to cancel his invite.
literally nothing is more pure than Meghan Markle's dad doing some reading to learn more about england pic.twitter.com/6lgvHg0pHK
— Dana Schwartz (@DanaSchwartzzz) April 4, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Of course, she has. I doubt he’s said a word to his mouthy kids who sell any piece of info they get.
I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t. I also wouldn’t be surprised if her mom walks her down the aisle. I don’t get the impression that he was much of an involved father at all, and so why should he get all the fatherly duties at her wedding. My dad wasn’t really around, I’m inviting him to my wedding but my mom is definitely the one walking me down the aisle.
As a feminist, i will be very happy if her mother walks her down the aisle. Enough with the patriarchal tradition.
She said in an old interview that growing up she spent a lot of time on her dad’s set he worked on, Married with Children. It sounds like he was part of her life according to her. Harry called her father and talked to him when he asked Meghan to marry him. If she didn’t have a relationship with him, that never would have happened. If Harry did that, then I think it’s fair to assume he will be at the wedding. Now, walking her down the aisle I have no idea. She is 36, has had a long career, is divorced, and might feel that’s an old tradition she doesn’t want nor need, her father giving her away nor her mother giving her away. Maybe she wants to walk down the aisle herself.
Not sure what he was like after he split from her mother, but he seems to have been involved in her life before they divorced anyway. She spent a lot of time on sets he worked on in LA.
I’d love to see her mother walk her down the aisle. It would be an incredible moment.
Why does Meghan need anyone to walk the aisle with her? She’ll be 37 this summer. She’s not a first-time bride.
Being walked down the aisle is symbolic. It may not be for everyone but there’s nothing wrong with the practice if that’s what a bride wants, at any age.
I’m all for walking herself down the aisle or both of them walking down the aisle together, but if she wants a parent to do it, i vote mother because male walking female down the aisle is an anti-feminist micro-aggression dressed up as cute tradition.
LAK, I’m stealing that wording. It works for any number of micro aggressions, but lord knows the gender based ones are the most likeky to be masquerading as “tradition.”
LAK, my dad walked me down the aisle and I didn’t feel any less feminist because of it. He was old and in poor health and it was his dream, to live long enough to do that. It made him so very happy I don’t regret it for a minute. Sometimes a walk is just a walk, it doesn’t have to be anti-feminist. And I’m not trying to be snippy to you, I just don’t think we should paint every woman that decides to do this with the anti-feminist brush. It’s a very personal family decision and we have no way of knowing why a particular bride chooses to do it.
RedOnTheHead: I’m glad you were happy that your father walked you down the aisle. Choice is afterall the cornerstone of feminism, BUT there are many ‘traditions’ that are anti-female in their genesis and representation and we shouldn’t be blinded by the cuteness of these masquerades into unwittingly supporting these symbols of our oppession.
Bettyrose: Exactly. And we must be vigilant otherwise next thing you know our bodies are back to being legislated, something we thought had been settled in the 80s/ 90s or at the very least understood to be off the table.
@Shotcaller, being walked down the aisle it is symbolic, but you know what it symbols, exactly? So, yeah, it is a symbol that should go away, if we want to talk about feminism.
@LAK please just stop. I get where you are coming from but your words have made a me cry. I was always close to my father, he was and still is my hero. I’ve also never been someone who’s dreamed of their wedding day. I just never thought of it something that will define me as a person. I’ve always said I would have the most untraditional wedding ever. But in every single one of my crazy wedding ideas, my father would still be walking me down the aisle. My father passed away in last July. I’ll never get the chance to have him walk me down the aisle. I’m heartbroken about that. I don’t want my mother or my uncle or anybody else to do it. I don’t want to do it by myself. I want the impossible, I want my dad back. If you don’t want that, fine but they way you are talking to those who do that is incredibly condescending and insulting.
@Nick2b
Thank for this. I’m in a similar position. My father died a few years ago. At the the time I didn’t think I would get engaged or married. But now that engagement appears to be a possibility, it is upsetting that he won’t be there.
@Nick2b – but that’s not LAK making you cry. She’s not dogging on individuals who have their fathers walk them down the aisle, or mocking those like you who would if they could. She’s pointing out that the start of it isn’t some wonderful love based tradition. Peace to you.
@Nick2b
I hope you were joking up there. It’s totally non-sensical to get upset or cross about other people’s opinions on traditions.
Lak has a right to state her opinion generally speaking, she wasn’t talking about single personal experiences. I understand where she comes from, as in many traditional and religious countries being walked down the aisle by a man is an obligation. Fortunately I migrated abroad and freed myself from all the rubbish. When I got married it was a simple ceremony with 4 people attending 🙂
I would have liked my grandfather to walk me down the aisle (my father was a domestic abuser and if forced to invite him I would have preferred to cancel the wedding or elope) but he died 17 years before my wedding. I know he was there in spirit 🙂
Hubby and I walked down the aisle together.
Congratulations and good luck with your wedding x
Nickb2: With rare exception, i can assume that everyone on this board and beyond loves their fathers and would die for them. That is not under discussion or review.
…BUT there are some societal indoctrinated acts of love that should be reviewed and thrown out. And it’s really interesting that it’s gender miccro-miccro-aggressions against women that are often dressed up as ‘traditions’ or acts of love toward the males in our lives. And we are indoctrinated from birth to accept them as normal because of tradition. Tradition that was started by males. And women are the keepers of said traditions. Well, we’ve thrown out lots of traditions.
I will be walking my daughter down the (very short, thankfully) aisle later this year, as her father died ehen she was 9. She said Iv’e been a mother AND father to her – I even get Fathers Day presents every year! She told me that had her father lived, she’d want both of us to walk her down the aisle.
As for the coming Royal wedding, We’ll find out soon enough.
thank you for saying that LAK. this isn’t about individual feelings, it’s about the institutional sexism inherent in a father “giving away” his daughter to another man.
My husband and I walked down the aisle together, hand in hand. It was our wedding, and we began it together.
Appreciate that for many other people it’s a way to share a moment with their Dads and I don’t mean to denigrate that. But it does, factually, stem from the time when men chose husbands for their daughters, and married them off to another man of their choosing, and the woman obediently walked down and was given in marriage – from the control of her father, over to the control of her husband. I didn’t even want my mother doing it, because I wasn’t being given away.
It just feels ickily Duggaresque, the whole deal. I hope she does walk down either alone, or with Harry. She’s nobody’s property.
My father walked me down the aisle. It was 1987, so a while ago, but I would do it again if it was today. cause I like tradition. And I am also one of the most assertive feminists I know. Sometimes a tradition is just a nice thing to do. You know – kind of like having a huge wedding with a big gown, even though you have been married before!
My thoughts exactly. He probably is keeping his mouth shut because his other kids clearly can’t. I don’t see how he’ll be presented with a coat of arms and NOT be invited.
I agree with @Jayna – I think he’ll walk her down the aisle and I also think Meghan has asked him not to divulge anything to her half-siblings as they are running to the press every chance they get. He doesn’t live anywhere near them and I’m sure when they call to get information to sell to the press, he’s like, “I haven’t heard anything.”
That said, this whole giving away the bride stuff at weddings needs to be done away with. I like the sentiment of walking down the aisle (maybe even with both parents), but once you’re at the alter with your groom, take a seat. They should wipe the “Who gives this woman to this man” stuff. It’s archaic.
The concept of giving away your daughter comes from ancient Roman times. It centers around a concept of Pater Familias. It means your father legally owns you. When you are married he symbolically passes his legal ownership to your new husband. He actually has the power of life or death over you. So giving your daughter away today literally alludes to this tradition. We also usethe romans tradition of gold rings. In roman times it symbolized the eternal legal business contract of marriage. There is no romance.
Sometimes I really hate these boards. Too much knee jerk, indignant, reactionary comments. Lak never said don’t homour your father. She just wanted some critical reasoning. Nuff said.
Meant honour your father , lol.
Dad will be walking. it may be Princess Henry wedding but more so – The HRH Prince Henry Wales and the Royal Family historical traditions.
Another fail with this beautiful dress worn and represent the firm with Prince Henry and seated prominently with gov leaders.
lol RoyalSparkle your posts never fail to never make sense or amuse!
the Jewish custom is not only for the parents of the bride (not just the father, both parents if alive) to walk her down the aisle and for the parents of the groom to walk him down the aisle
the ketubah (marriage contract) requires two unrelated witnesses to sign it – it also includes a nookie clause in which the man agrees to pleasure his wife
not all traditions, even from patriarchal religions, are necessary misogynistic. the crux of feminism is that a woman should have the same right of self-determination as a man – should women who want to stay home with their children be reminded that women in the past didn’t have a choice in a way that implies if they decide to do so because it’s what they truly want, they are basically keeping alive traditions previously used to oppress women?
Ole Cranky,
I was raised by atheist Jews and love many Jewish customs. But traditional Jewish marriage also forbade sex outside of the wife’s ovulation stage of monthly cycle using the actual claim that women are impure for two weeks out of the month.
you completely missed the point of my comment
The Markle side of the family seems like a nightmare. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were harassing her father for an invite/ +1 (since they still have access to him) and he’s demurring like “I don’t even know if I’m going! I haven’t heard a thing!” If so, that’s playing it smart- otherwise he’d have every single one of his family members starting with his kids lined up to follow him.
+1 I was under the impression soon after the engagement that they were estranged from their father as well as Meghan, so they could even just be stirring the pot in the press.
if we look at MM’s life over the past seven years in CDN Suits – the ‘ family’ didnt really exist or matter – (her parents and maybe her father siblings/as her mom) . Now because of her status the halves who are a non story, really – want in!
Almost his entire side of the family has sold her out. Even Thomas Sr.’s brother and nephews have jumped on the bandwagon. I do wonder to what extent Thomas Sr. has given his side of the family the what for. If my family was selling out my daughter I would cut them off.
Yes, I totally agree. Grifters. No wonder he moved to Mexico — who would want any interaction with those people.
Would these relatives have even attended meghan’s first wedding? I doubt it. …
Famewhores.
I hope that her dad is there too. I do wonder if her family members were clamouring to be invited to her previous wedding ceremony? Bet they weren’t b
I think they are clamouring for this invite because they have deals lined up to sell all the details after the fact. Can you imagine the sneaky pictures from inside the palace of the Queen eating sausage rolls at the wedding buffet!
Eh, I don’t know why her dad has to be there, or walk her down the aisle. IF they don’t have much of a relationship, maybe she doesn’t feel she wants him there. And certainly a 36 year old grown women doesn’t need to be ‘given away’ by anyone.
Mayve I just don’t get it – My father (who I adore) was at my wedding, but my dog ‘walked me’ down the aisle. Shrug.
@clare I posted somethings similar below before seeing this. If they’re not close, I don’t see why he would attend. Also agree about the whole giving away shit
aww I love that story about your pupper @Clare! I would have loved to include my cats in our wedding but they would not have enjoyed it at all and I would likely spent the whole ceremony fussing over them
@OriginalLala I have to say, having him as part of the wedding was the best thing ever – a way to acknowledge how important he was to us. He was such a good boy on the day, too! We were married in the College where we met, and had to write to the Council to have him designated a cat, so he would be allowed on College grounds (all very silly and old School British!)
Sadly he died about a month ago (he was 16, had an amazing life, but Jesus Christ, still tearing up writing this), but we are even more grateful now to have had him there.
I still think one of the sleazier gossip rags is going to fly sister Samantha out for the wedding. I also think she will be front and center with the crowd outside, waiting to see the happy couple.
The last article I read about the sis, she was also complaining that Meghan hadn’t even invited her best friend for life, Nikki to the wedding. As if.
@Lady D…unfortunately I do believe that Samantha will be flown over to coincide with her ‘book’. I think the TV stations giving her air time are behaving so cheap.
I would so love to interview sad Sam….I know the questions i would ask.
That’s what I’ve been wondering, if the family even attended Meghan’s first wedding. I think the father is invited. I thought they still had a good relationship. She just didn’t really talk to the rest of his side of the family.
I am pretty sure that her father will walk her down the aisle…Meghan, Doria and Thomas have a good relationship with each other and I believe they all spent either Thanksgiving or Xmas 2016 together, and that for me was the sign that Meghan was soon moving into the RF
It’s curious that in all their interviews, they haven’t mentioned hubby no 1 or that wedding. Unless i missed it. I’m happy to be corrected.
It’s quite obvious that the only reason that care about this wedding is because it’s a *royal* wedding. A chance to rub shoulders with royalty and live to tell (monetise) the tale.
None of them seem to think long-term about other opportunities that will arise for them to rub shoulders with royalty as part of MM’s becoming a duchess. They are burning that bridge so effectively in the short-term.
Exactly. Not only are they mean-spirited but also completely stupid.
It’s clearly a very problematic family dynamic. If they were not invited or cared not to attend the first wedding, why would they think they’d receive an invitation to this wedding, royal or not? Suddenly, ‘blood’ family matters? I agree, it is only the royal wedding and monetising opportunities that this lot care about.
If Meghan’s relationship with her father is awkward and/or he is in poor health, why not walk herself down the aisle? She’s 36, divorced, and since the couple has discarded several protocols, maybe this could be another one? Above all, the couple should enjoy the day itself; best to be rid of everything else.
It’s not like the family would had this kind of media exposure to complain about her first wedding. If they weren’t invited to wedding #1, how would any of us know if they made a stink or not. For that matter we don’t know if they went or not, and we aren’t sure when their relationships went sour or were they always that way. This might just be their way. Yes that stinks, but just what it is.
I hope she does have a good relationship with her father, and he does end up going to the wedding. I’m sure she can do without the extended brood, but her father hasn’t been very gossipy, and it just is good to have family when you can.
maybe he is the one who doesn’t feel comfortable with attending the ceremony, being scrutinized, meeting all those aristocrats and celebs. Maybe he is scared about the billions who will be watching the nuptials. Of course he is perfectly capable like anybody else to learn the basics of dining or conversation etiquette but maybe he doesn’t want to. Who knows?
I would understand. Unfortunately I read some really disgusting comments some vile people wrote about him. He spent a lot of his life behind the scenes & excelled at it. Anything he says in confidence to friends & family members is sold to the media. Sickening…
It was not ‘very warm’ in London yesterday – highs of like 17 degrees, I think.
She’s been living in Toronto for the last several years. 17 degrees is shorts and sandals weather for us Torontonians.
It’s still not ‘very warm’!
I mean, I haven’t an opinion on the dress in this instance, but let’s not pretend she couldn’t have worn something else based on the weather. That’s all.
17 is indeed very warm for Torontoians but it would be hard to understand without living here for a few winter to spring transitions. The body adapts and the sense of where chilly turns to cold and warm turns to hot changes.
I grew up in the “sleeveless means casual” era but that’s changed, hasn’t it? New norms,happens in fashion as with anything else. I think she looks nice.
Too true. Anyone who has lived in Canada for any considerable period of time would consider 17 degrees summer weather.
Hell it was 11 degrees this weekend in Toronto and I saw dozens of people without coats, passed three full patios, and passed two busy ice cream places.
Maybe sleeveless is a little too casual for the event but I think she looks lovely!
I’m in NS. I break out my sandals from basically April to late October. If I only wore them when it was ‘very warm’ I’d have like a month and a half of sandal weather. My perception of ‘cold’ is a lot different than someone who lives in a very warm climate.
Yesterday morning I was scraping frost off of the car. When I left work to go home, I was shedding all of the layers I could. I think it was about 12 degrees. That’s plenty warm for me to drop the jacket and go with a short sleeved shirt. I started cracking the windows open and I took the dog out around 4:30 pm and I’d changed into a t-shirt and pajama shorts and just tossed my rubber boots on to go out.
Toronto is also nowhere near the coldest temperatures for Canadian winters. It’s actually one of the warmer cities on average.
seriously! it was around 17 yesterday in Ottawa and hubby was running about in a T-shirt and sandals! We get so excited at the first hints of summer because our winters are so darn cold and loooooooong
Add in us Minnesotans. Once we get the chance to bask in sunlight and fresh air, we do. Like lizards.
She hasn’t spent last winter in Toronto, so it isn’t like she went from -30 to 17.
17 in Toronto is warm, right after winter. That is why people take off their coats and jackets. 17 after a few days of heat wave would feel cool for us too.
She wore tight jeans and long-sleeved shirt to watch Invictus Games in the middle of a heatwave, I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw that outfit. So it isn’t like she has to wear summer dresses because of the heat.
Seriously, didn’t Michelle Obama change this for all of us. I like the dress and feels it’s appropriate, but I’m not British or royal.
I’m in London and it’s been boiling hot over the past few days. Proper heatwave with everyone walking around wearing as little as possible. The heatwave broke on Sunday night with a big thunderstorm, and Monday was still warm and sunny but very windy and a bit chillier (light sweater weather). A lot of people got caught out by the abrupt change in weather. I was standing on the train platform yesterday people-watching, and there were people in shorts and vest tops shivering, and people in coats sweltering.
Britain has a microclimate due to being at the conjunction of three separate weather systems, which means our weather is insane and changes constantly. We’re always getting caught out by the weather.
@Who ARE these people? I did my undergread at UofT and I remember walking to the library in November (before it got PROPERLY cold lol) in flip flips, despite the snow. Ah, youth.
I get y’all, but I repeat, 17 degree is not ‘very warm’! Very warm is what we had (in London) on Friday-Sunday, where I thought my face was going to melt in 25 degrees because it was such a shock to the system, lol.
Very warm is 35 degrees. Hot is 40.
Well weather does vary massively from hour to hour and place to place in the UK. No, yesterday was not heatwave-hot the way the weekend was, but it was still warm. I was in a sleeveless top and very light cardigan, similar to how most people were dressed, and felt fine.
Yes, I think that Meghan pre planned the sleeveless outfit thinking it was going to be another scorcher but having said that, she likes sleeveless and so I think we will be getting a lot of sleeveless.
I’m so American I see 17, 35 and 40 and think frigid cold. Oops forgot celsius.
That’s middle of winter temps in Sydney!
Stop bragging 😉
We are in coats and scarves and boots though lol
The dress looks much cuter in these pics (though I still don’t like her messy bun).
And I would be surprised if she didn’t invite her father; relationships either have to be dead or totally in the toilet for there to be no invite for a parent.
I really like this dress too, Betsy. In fact, if I were Kate, I’d have worn this yesterday- it’s dark to cover any bleeding mishaps, v long and very safe looking. Much better than the work shirt and pyjama bottoms I wore when I left hospital with my two!
I love this look, all of it, including the messy up-do. I really think Meghan looks FAR better in a full skirt like this, or a fit-and-flare, because there’s not enough difference between her waist and her hips for her to carry off pencil skirts and sheath dresses. I have narrow hips, too, so I go with fit-and-flare dresses or a-line skirts unless I’m wearing a loose top.
What I don’t have is Meghan’s beautiful arms. Wow. The fact that the dress is sleeveless doesn’t bother me, since it was weather-appropriate. It’s been unusually warm in London this week.
Meghan wears pencil skirts very well…check out Suits, that was her uniform.
The blue dress looks like its from Lord and Taylor.
How is his reading that book a bad thing? I do not understand.
Right?
I can nitpick with the best of them, but reading a book is nitpicking too far.
right? I thought it was sweet that he was trying to learn more.
I think it’s sweet and earnest of him to be reading about life in his daughter’s new country.
God, I feel sorry for the invasive scrutiny this poor man is getting. He moved to Mexico, I heard, because of his desire to have a very private life.
I took it as he was staging a paparazzi shot. “look at me reading about my daughter’s future home! Talk about me!!” I also saw some exercising photos of him working out to get in shape for the wedding too. Kind of tabloidish. But I hope he is invited.
I read he moved to avoid some financial obligations…
I saw some pictures of him buying a toilet the other day. Lol
It is possible he was being paid to have that picture taken, with that particular book. It looks very posed to read a book with one side held up like that.
It wouldn’t be the first time a book has been used deliberately as a prop to send a message.
If I were her dad and I had those family members clamouring at me about the wedding and bitching about my daughter in the press, I’d be refusing to even discuss the matter with them. Just sayin’.
I don’t believe it, but we shall see come the 19th of May.
As per the out fit, the dress was appropriate. I am not sure about the tan shoes, I am so sick of the tan shoe trend!!!
That photo of him sitting in the window with his giant picture book of Britain is so basic.
‘Ooh I’ll just pull up a seat here in front of LOADS OF GLASS and have a quick look at my MASSIVE book all about pictures of BRITAIN.’
If Meghan wasn’t sure if he was keen to attend the wedding, she sure will be now 😂
He’s a private citizen. Most normal people have no awareness of how they could be photographed by paparazzi and just carry on all unawares. Let’s not imbue this man with imagined detailed knowledge of what he should and shouldn’t do like he is an experienced celebrity.
But what book was *really* inside that cover?
“Pride and Prejudice”
“The Girl who Saved the King of Sweden”
“Our Bodies, Ourselves”
That photo of her dad is just so staged! No one reads a book like that unless they want you to see what they are reading.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some paparazzi went to Mexico just to look for him. No matter how you feel about royalty, there is no denying that Prince Harry’s wedding is a Big Deal. That means the bride-to-be’s family will spark a lot of interest in the press. Hasn’t Meghan’s mom been photographed just while she’s running errands?
Perhaps the book is a silent code to indicate that he has been invited and he is attending, rather than announcing it out loud. He might be sending a message but not confirming anything so as to be left alone.
Or maybe he likes to read while he sips a drink or eats at an outdoor café, and he really is studying up on Britain. Maybe his daughter or future son-in-law sent him the book. Paps could be stalking him by now. Or at least one enterprising one. Or someone at a nearby table recognized him and sold the photo.
I see your point normally, but he moved to Mexico (not Cabo) and not necessarily a pap friendly place. Someone above said he was caught buying a toilet. Also, not really a pap thing most people would do. He could have just saw it and was interested. He’s been a bit quiet and coy, and I would let it go and leave the poor guy alone.
Nobody knows what went on in her personal life growing up. It’s nobody’s business and she can invite whoever she wants to her own wedding, including relatives. Since he’s looking at this brochure of England, there’s a good chance he actually is invited, as why would he bother, otherwise. It’s not something you’d read, otherwise.
I have no idea her relationship with her father, but if he was smart, I imagine he wouldn’t say a word about it to other family members, with how horribly they’ve been talking about her. What if he’s just decided to not tell them, and deal with the backlash when he gets back home from the wedding?
Agree. Plus, even though the two maybe estranged, it doesn’t mean that her father doesn’t care about her, isn’t curious about her new surroundings or doesn’t follow her life the best way he can.
OT, here’s big news from DF:
“Why royal baby number three will be different: Kate is set to stay out of the limelight to bond with the new arrival after returning to work ‘too soon’ after having George and Charlotte”
@Agenbiter
“Why royal baby number three will be different: Kate is set to stay out of the limelight to bond with the new arrival after returning to work ‘too soon’ after having George and Charlotte
Quelle surprise.
Take cover! The Dolittle Detractors are gonna blow!
LOLOLOL.
I did see an article today about how “normal” the new prince’s life will be. I think it was being facetious because the headline mentioned the 170k kitchen, the two nurseries, and the full time nanny lol.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Imo this is a case of a lie going around the world before the truth has a chance to put its boots on. Meghan has repeatedly said that she has a good relationship with her dad and has sung her dad’s praises in interviews. Her brother (otherwise dodgy and has been horrible about her) said she sees their dad monthly, and that their dad has met Harry. By all accounts the dad is very reclusive and won’t talk to press. Yet because of the deranged sister the rumour that Meghan is estranged or that the dad is living in poverty has spread.
ditto
I hope your post is accurate. I hope her father does get to the wedding and if he is a private person that the world lets him just be, and enjoy some private times with his daughter.
I am here to say that not all family members behave like family, and being “family” technically does not mean family as we might wish it. I have seen too much over the years, lol.
I mean it depends on the relationship she has with her dad. If they aren’t close or even estranged, why would she invite him at all? She shouldn’t have to just because he’s her biological father. She’s obviously close to her mother, I’d say her mother being there is enough. They can give the Markle coat of arms to Maman Markle instead!
She definitely shouldn’t have to, but I can completely understand why she would.
My BF’s sister has always had an extremely strained relationship with her father, but she invited him to the wedding and had him and her stepdad both walk her down the aisle. I’m not gonna lie–I’m not sure I’d be as big of a person as she is, knowing how he has and continues to treat her. That being said, I recognize this as her personal choice. Maybe she didn’t want to look back and regret not inviting him, maybe she just felt like this was the easiest way to keep the peace, or maybe she genuinely wanted him there (doubt it lol but who knows).
I hope she gets to wear a Diana piece of jewelry as well. Harry is no less Diana’s son than William. I can’t inagine marrying without my parents …it’s hard just missing them on ordinary days. Really I’d love to see the Spencer Tiara but I don’t think it will happen. It’s gorgeous and very much a reminder of his mother.
Invitations-hopefully her dad as everything indicates he loves her very much. Let mom and dad both walk her down if she chooses…or she may choose neither which is fine too. No invitations for the relatives who wouldn’t attend if she was marrying His Unroyal Not Very Wealthy Joe Average, kind of heart and socially invisible.
spencer tiara absolutely will not happen as it is reserved for spencer women. we will probably see it whenever one of the earl’s daughters marries.
Morton reported that Meghan didn’t invite the complainers to her first wedding to Trevor Engelson, a low to mid level Hollywood producer. There are no reports they complained about that. I’m sorry but if you have not had contact for years, dragged the relative through the tabloid mud, sold video and pictures and plan to do tell all books you don’t get an invite. If they were invited, how many of them would have expected all expenses paid – airfare, five star hotel (no Buckingham Palace), food , transportation, clothes for the weeding? Nicole Rasmussen, Samantha’s daughter and Meghan’s niece, told the Daily Mail the family needs to stop the public sniping (it’s embarrassing her). No she didn’t get an invite but she seems ok with that. She also put Samantha on blast for her jealousy of Meghan going back to childhood and that Sam is only nice when she wants something.
I looked up the wedding of Edward and Sophie and the guest list from the bride’s side is her mother and father. Sophie has a brother and her wasn’t there. I think only Meghan’s mom and dad are coming.
Interesting about Sophie…..
Maybe he hasn’t spoken to the press at all and that’s why no one knows whether he’s going or not? Why is anyone assuming anything about her father? Has he spoken one word to the press? Given any interviews that I’m not aware of? Ugh.
No he has been very quiet. I think it is because his other daughter is loud mouth gossipy person, and they assume he is. Guilt by association, but keep in mind Meghan is also related so what do we have sometimes associated guilt, but only when it makes good gossip.
If she doesnt want to invite her father, thats her buisness.
I know it’s her business but i still hope she invite him.
Morton needs to have several seats. I think Meghan’s father will be at the wedding. Based on her now deleted Instagram, they do have a relationship, it just isn’t as close as the one with her mom.
At this rate, no one from her family apart from her mother is going to be invited and they’ll invite random celebrities who they have either never met before or have only ever had passing glances with at social events to fill the gaps in the church. Basically doing what Z-lister’s do when they get a Hello! or OK! wedding magazine deal.
She worked a steady TV show for 7 years, plus her other ventures. Do you really think she would only know some celebrities at a superficial level? Her work weeks must have been so long they might as well have spent all their time together.
It remains to be seen if those people she has worked closely with and bonded with are even invited. Lots of people on here have suggested that even those people don’t deserve an invite. I think some close celebrity friends will be invited but random celebrities will also be invited to fill up the church in the absence of most of her family.
Her uncle and niece (who she’s very close to) are both invited, and her dad is probably invited. seeing as how the rumours about an estrangement contradict Meghan’s own words.
I’m sure she has many friends in addition to the family who are invited.
I don’t know why people assume that if something is not made public through the media, it means it does not exist. Even with the most high profile celebs all we see is only ever a tiny percentage of their lives.
The reason we hear so much about the one single estranged half-sister and nothing about all Meghan’s close relatives is because people you are on good terms with are not going to be running to the press every two minutes.
Perhaps she simply has a small family and a small friend circle. What’s the problem with that? Nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about.
Whether A list or Z list, it’s their list. I can’t imagine Harry having a huge set of close, personal friends either but moreso an insular, incestuous pack of inter-breed aristocrats that everyone of his set knows.
Harry probably has a larger list of people he is required to invite I bet. Probably some of them he doesn’t really know or even like. I know it is a small Royal wedding, but still a relatively big wedding.
Whatever, history check:
Prince Phillip’s sisters & their husbands (etc.) were not ‘invited’ to his marriage. No outrage.
Lord Snowdon’s best man (supporter) was changed at last minute. No outrage.
William did not invite Fergie (whose wedding he served as page boy) nor lots of Diana’s friends (who we, the public, were told had been hostile to Camilla). No outrage.
Kate did not invite many family members to her wedding (including the stripper cousin). No outrage.
If a person(s) want you to attend…they invite you. If they don’t…they don’t.
Thanks Tonya for the history/reality check.
Tonya:
You are overlooking very salient points for the dis-invitations on your list.
1. Philip’s sisters were married to high ranking SS Nazi officers.
2. Previous Bestman was convicted of a Homosexual offence on the eve of the wedding. In 1960, Homosexuality was still considered a criminal offence.
3. Fergie in eternal disgrace, hated by the public at large. Self evident why she wasn’t invited. She hasn’t attended any royal family event publicly since 1997. Only recently returned to the fold.
4. Camilla has publicly removed any friends that were hostile to her. Whether they were Diana’s friends or not. Some of those Diana friends were publicly rude about Kate = no invite for them.
5. The Middletons do not keep up with a wide circle of their own family members. They are famously a very small unit. The pattern of not inviting family was repeated with Pippa.
LAK – are those things worse than what Meghan’s half-sister (the one family member doing all the complaining and the one family member people wave around when they claim – falsely – that Meghan is estranged from her entire family) has done? With the exception of being a Nazi, no.
Samantha Grant is estranged from her entire family, has been called abusive and toxic and crazy by her own mother and brother, her own mum said she racially abused her stepmum (can you imagine your own daughter behaving so badly you support your ex-husband’s new wife over her?), and has been vicious in selling out her baby half-sister who she hasn’t seen since childhood to the press.
The entire point is that plenty of royal couples have had legitimate reason to ban specific relatives from their weddings, but only Meghan gets hate for it. If it’s fine for the Middletons to cut out slightly embarrassing relatives without anyone saying a word, Meghan should be allowed to not invite a racist abuser she barely knows and hasn’t spoken to in decades.
Thank you Meggles (you got my point). Lak, I am well aware of the situations in the above mentioned incidences, but I used them to highlight the hypocrisy of the media in their coverage of Meghan Markle. I’m sure you must agree that racist, criminals and extortionists (which are ‘salient points’) should also not receive an invite. Just like the Middletons (who had justification) why should Meghan invite people who have had no association with Meghan in the past 5 (some as long as 20 years) …
Tonya, i misunderstood your original point. I didn’t realise you were making a point about the media.
Meggles, In the past, a combination of society mores that kept everyone silent plus a media ruled by the establishment meant these things were downplayed / hidden/ quickly deflected by the establishment PR.
MM is the first royal-to-be whose family is refusing to play ball with the establishment way of dealing with these things which is one of the consequences of new media and the fact that the family is shameless.
They are using dog whistles like ‘family’ plus cute pictures of baby / teen MM. It doesn’t seem to matter that none of the stories are of recent family get togethers, of MM’s first marriage or MM in the past decade. They are outraged as if they are in regular contact. And people are shifting blame to MM which is beyond ridiculous.
Philip’s sisters were married to Nazis. They were hardly going to be invited lol
Philip also barred Fergie from W/K’s wedding because he felt she was an “embarrassment” to the family.
I don’t know if I would say no outrage, because it seems it was well known they weren’t invited, and a bit of gossip about all of those non-invitees. Still none of them are the father of the bride. If she doesn’t invite her father to a very public wedding, then she is sending a clear message, and in the British Royal Family world that is gossip gold. Or just celebrity gossip, remember all the gossip about Isabella Cruise not inviting either Nicole Kidman or Tom Cruise to her wedding, that was good for a few days of gossip.
@ whatever
Please you have no idea what you are talking about, just like the rest of us.
She worked long hours on the set of Suits with fellow actors and she might have invited some of them, because they could have become close over the years.
I don’t know why she would be inviting random Z list celebrity people, she is nearly 37 years old and has most likely developed some close relationships by now with various people from various points in her life like university, previous jobs and so on.
I don’t know, if she is inviting her dad or not and I have no idea, if anybody will be walking her down the isle, but it’s her decision, she knows what happened in her personal life better than anybody.
It’s her call in my opinion, but I would certainly not want anybody at my wedding that was or is being disrespectful.
She could follow the example set by the Middletons and invite random people from where she lived.
Harry and Meghan talked about him in their interview didn’t they? Something about talking to her dad on the phone, but hadn’t had a chance to meet in person. I think it will reflect very badly on them if he’s not in attendance. If it’s an issue of travel, they can both afford to have him flown over privately.
It’s quite clear that it’s more than an issue of travel. The man moved to Mexico after bankruptcies where he lives a very low-key life. He has been supportive of MM from afar ever since -she shared some of his supportive text messages on her blog, but didn’t join her at events, at least in public.
Like her mother he is keeping a low profile, but her mother seems to have been the travelling parent in the past decade.
The world might think worse of her if he doesn’t show up, invited or not, but clearly he is in Mexico for a reason and doesn’t seem in a hurry to join his family wherever they might be.
Agree – I think if he is not there, it will most likely be his choice, and not Meghan’s.
I think there maybe a reason why he’s a recluse. He may have a phobia about flying and going out of his comfort zone. It’s not uncommon, and Mexico to U.K. Is a heck of a long way to go. And if that’s the case, he would be much happier not attending. Doesn’t necessarily mean that the relationship isn’t a good one.
As a Mexican I’m uncomfortable with the implications that if he’s in Mexico it’s because he is some sort of outlaw. I can understand up to a point if your idea of Mexico comes from old western films and outdated stereotypes, but I’d like to remind you that…
– There are over 2 million American expats living in Mexico. Most come here after retirement, and they live in the quiet beach towns (like Rosarito) or colonial towns.
– Rosarito is in Baja California, (very close to Cabo) and literally one stone’s throw away from LA, which makes it a very popular destination.
– Baja California and Alta California (aka California) used to be a single state. Families that were divided once the current border was established still remember, they still travel back and forth to visit relatives that live “on the other side”. I know the Markles aren’t this type of family, but in the local culture this more is seen as perfectly normal.
That is all. Carry on 🙂
Shhh….Diplomanatee, there has to be something nefarious and suspicious about why he’s chosen to retire in a particularly lovely part of your lovely country. 😉
I don’t understand why Meghan’s father’s behavior would reflect poorly on her or Harry?
Well I am wondering when Harry will get to meet his father in law? Thomas should really arrive in the UK a couple of weeks before hand to meet Harry and his family.
This is a recluse, we are talking about, you don’t want to overwhelm him.
Baby steps for dad, who loves Meghan very much, and I’m sure she returns love, that’s what drives Yvonne nuts.
@PrincessK there’s no “should” here. i imagine all these expectations like this (“he should be there weeks early, he should walk her down the aisle, he should meet harry’s family”) that random people have for him are difficult to deal with, as a recluse.
the only thing he “should” do is what he and his daughter are comfortable with.
If she isn’t close with her father, why should she invite him? I don’t see the point. This is 2018 afer all.
Her paternal family seems terrible.
I think her dad will be invited. It sounds like there isn’t any bad blood there, they just aren’t very close. And wasn’t there speculation that she saw him around Easter?
I don’t know if that means he will walk her down the aisle, or even attend, but I am sure he was invited. if nothing else, its because they don’t want the story of “Meghan didn’t even invite her father!!!!” to gain traction.
We’ll find out soon enough.
Would reserve my comment till then
Lovely dress
Her sartorial choices match my taste a lot. I would wear most of them in a heartbeat
Has anyone considered that he may not want to go or want the attention? If he doesn’t attend it could be a mutual decision.
Can we all appreciate that he may *not* want to come? Guy lives somewhat reclusive life. He’s been in Hollywood. He’s prob way less dazzled than the rest of us. And can we also appreciate that he & Meghan may not have a relationship? Many people have complex family stories – let’s assume complexity here and move on.
I feel like she has an unspoken (or perhaps spoken rule): you talk to the press, you are not invited to the wedding. I do think her father is invited though. And I don’t fault the rule.
But Meghan herself spoke to the press in that Vanity Fair interview, in which she was gushing like a 16 year old over her great love to Harry!! So let’s not pretend Meghan doesn’t have a real love for the press herself!
Veronica, most royals use journalism in one form or the other. I just watched the Queen, Anne, William, Kate, etc. on the telly…Don’t royals appear in print, on the radio, etc. Didn’t Eugenie appear in a magazine informing us of a day in the life of a princess???…
I think the commentator meant that Meghan probably would not invite relatives or ex-friends who used yellow journalism to obtain financial gain. Royals tend to shun that form of journalism usually…
That picture of her dad makes me feel melancholy.
aww..
me too.
I find it incomprehensible that the only family she would have there is her mother. I do not expect the half-siblings, certainly, they deserve to be cut out, but why she would cut out her father, I don’t know.
I’m expecting him to show up. It really is unfortunate that Harry made that “family she never had” remark, because it kind of places her in the position of justifying that by having no one but her Mom. She can hardly say she has no family if both parents and a bunch of siblings and cousins show up, while all Harry’s cousins, cousins, grandmother, etc. show up. It all seems so awkward.
I still think the outfit, along with the messy hair, was a little too informal and this is a case where a pretty jacket would have helped. I do think the dress is adorable and looks great on her, but to me it looked too much like garden party wear. BTW, I saw a blow up of the first photo somewhere else and her hair looked awful – it wasn’t just artfully messy, it was coming down, and it looked dry and lifeless the way over-processed hair can. I think she needs to rethink the side strands. I noticed that in photos of them in the Albert Hall, the side strand, which wasn’t just a wisp, hid most of her face in the photos where you could see them. Needs a rethink.
Is it overprocessed though? It always looks glossy and lustrous to me, even if it may be straightened.
@Shotcaller – it looks glossy sometimes in some photos, but there are a lot of others in which it does look dry and dull. I saw that photo large size. The Brazilian blowout, which is what she says she does, is really tough on hair, and she does it twice a month. It may be that when she gets close to the end of the two weeks it starts showing. And for special shoots like the engagement photos it gets deeply treated, I’m sure, by pro hairdressers. It may be that at the end of the cycle for an event like this, she does it herself, and the wear and tear shows. There is no way that kind of treatment that frequently doesn’t have an impact on the health of the hair.
Her hair is not over-processed.
@Anastasia – well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that. I think it is, and it looks it sometimes.
I think Meghan is going to have to have a good long think about which direction her hair should go. Kate also has nightmares with her hair in terms of keeping I looking perfect and glossy for photos. As Kate’s hair always looks picture perfect ( and she doesn’t do it herself) we are expecting Meghan (who doesn’t have a personal hairdresser on tap) to look the same. Meghan may not always want to have perfect looking hair in public.
@PrincessK – no one should have to have perfect looking hair in public 24/7. And FWIW, I don’t always like the way Kate does her hair, either. I hated those sausage curls – no one over 13 should have been wearing them, let alone a woman over 30. But her hair does always look healthy.
I wouldn’t invite them either if they kept selling me out to the tabloids. Many of the Markles have been terrible since she got engaged. I think this is less of a reflection of Meghan than her awful, fame-hungry family members.
I heard this last week, and got to say, was floored. If true, what gives? Two of those step-siblings are completely trashy, but does she not have ANY relatives? Or is she silently embarrassed by every relative. Messy AF.
Yes, she’s very close to her mum, apparently on very good terms with her dad, and there are other family members (an uncle and a niece) she is reportedly close to and has invited to the wedding.
The reason you don’t know about them is because they respect her privacy and aren’t running to the tabloids.
it’s a catch 22. Only a bad relative would go to the tabloids, but it’s only by going to the tabloids that anyone knows about them. So by definition the good relatives who stay private remain unknown and unnoticed.
Her mom, her uncle and her niece are all coming. So no she isn’t embarassed by her entire family. But, I don’t blame her for excluding the trashy family members who are shopping stories about her and who she hasn’t talked to in decades.
Which uncle and niece, and from which side?
@Bluthfan – is there a list out?! If so, can you say where?
@Bluthfan – I actually went to the BRF’s web site and there is no guest list except one that says “this many from this group, and this many from that group” etc., and a few names of selected people who have “served their communities”. There is no guest list of individuals whatsoever. So how do you know the uncle and niece are invited? Did they say so publicly? Of course, we expect her Mom to be there, that is a given. But how do you know about the uncle and niece?
PrincessK wants to know if the uncle and niece are black or white.
Her niece Ashleigh is more than likely coming. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Ashleigh’s brother Christopher either. There is also a uncle, Joffrey, who is Doria’s younger sibling and they are said to be close. He’s not the one that talked to the media. I expect him there as well.
There will be few but I doubt a bulk will be there because honestly,they don’t deserve to be and she’s just not that close to them.
@happy girl Meghan does not have any step siblings as neither of her parents are married. She has HALF siblings – they share one parent. step siblings are biologically unrelated people whose parents happen to be married.
I think the photos of her dad reading that book are very sweet honestly. No one knows the reality of what takes place in any family unless you were present. Not everyone’s family is picture perfect and that is more of the norm these days than the exception. I would hope she would have invited him if he was a good father to her. Who really knows at this point. I will say that it seems like a lot of people on the board have little positive to say about Kate’s family and yet Markle is kind of painted like the victim a lot. Again, no one knows what really goes on. Maybe she is not keen on associating her old life with her new life. Maybe the opposite is true. Who knows at this point. Maybe she is a very nice person. Who really knows what people are really like unless they know them extremely well.
I find it unusual MM’s father and Harry haven’t met. It’s not that difficult to travel to LA from MEX to have met Harry. I’m guessing MM’s parents aren’t on speaking terms. MM’s father also has a bad leg so he may not be physically able to walk his daughter up the aisle. In any event, MM’s father is proud of his daughter and sends his best wishes. Thanks for covering this story. I hope both MM’s father and Prince Philip are able to attend the wedding.
Her brother gave an interview saying Harry and her dad have met, and that Meghan sees her dad once a month.
Harry, at least at the time of the engagement has not met her father. Doria and Thomas are on good terms, although Doria must now be absolutely livid over the behaviour of her ex husband’s family in the run up to this wedding.
Of course he won’t tell his other children his travel plans. They’ll show up at the airport! As it is I keep envisioning one or more of them trying to tag along with the poor guy and telling church security “I’m with him.”
She left one really dysfunctional family for another….tragic.
@Sage – LOL, you know any that aren’t?
I was thinking the same thing. I don’t know of one “normal” family. Everyone has problems.
I do not doubt her father will be there. Honestly though,very few have to invite their parents. It’s a given they will be there. I personally think Tom is fanning off other family members (including his kids) because he knows they would probably run to the media or beg him to force her into inviting them. Tom doesn’t seem like one who likes confrontation so I can see him straight out lying to avoid one with those family members.
He will be there. I’m not sure if he will walk her down the aisle because Meghan might want to do it herself and her father might not be up to it. He’s lived a recluse life for years and to have to walk your daughter down the aisle in a Royal wedding? Not an easy task.
I don’t doubt for a second that her Dad is invited. Morton is so full of opportunistic bullshit.
But whether he attends or not – and he might not because he might, very reasonably, living the low-key he lives, just feel this huge international spotlight (with all its likely attendant crap from his grifter relatives) is not for him – remains to be seen.
For what it is worth, I lost my Father when I was 13 and didn’t have the opportunity to have him walk me down the aisle when I got married. My Brother walked me instead and although I was happy he was the one to walk me, there was always the feeling I missed out on a special Father/Daughter moment. I would hope since Meghan’s father is still alive and as old fashioned as it may seem, I hope she allows him the honor. Sorry, I’m just old fashioned like that about certain stuff.
I really hope he goes and walks her down the aisle. I’d actually be sad if that doesn’t happen.
That’s true her mother’s half brother that talked to the press, showing pictures, he and his sister are out.
I think even if Yvonne and Thomas jr. did not talk to the press they still would not be invited, due to pass behavior and how they treated her mother.
Anyone found it strange that Doria lives in California, and none of the Markles asked her about invitations, but had the gall to write Kensington Palace demanding invitations. The uncle that was in the diplomatic service, saying his daughters want to come, lol.
Maybe this is how they’ve treated Doria over the years.
I’ve to admire Meghan for not giving in to her father’s family, and not stooping to their level (gutter) even the haters at the dailymail had enough of them.
I have a large, distant family with lots of drama as well, but no amount of money could make me talk bad about any of them unless what they did was criminal. It’s just not right. The golden rule: if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.
exactly especially when it comes to family.
If she didn’t invite him, I’m sure she’s got a very good reason. I will pretty much always side with the person in Meghan’s spot in a situation like this, the person who is setting the boundaries or cutting someone out of their life because I’ve had to do it with a parent myself, so I know it’s tough and not something you do lightly. Honestly the Markle side of her family is a mess, no shade on Meghan for doing what is best for her.
Let her mom walk her down the aisle instead.
Unless health problem or he is scared of flying, Thomas will be there even if he don’t walk her down aisle.
Late to the party on this and at the risk of sounding completely uncynical, I love this whole look. Chic, understated and not boring. I think it’s one of MM’s best official looks yet… maybe second to the tux.
Just let Mike Tindall walk her down the aisle. What could go wrong?
If she doesn’t invite her father, she must have a good reason. He doesn’t look like a bad person but who knows what happened behind closed doors. It could be something very sad or traumatic, either from him or someone he knew. It’s HER day to plan as she sees fit!
I had a friend who got married recently and she asked her Dad nicely to not come to the wedding. He was somewhat involved in her life, but it was a really strained dynamic and her mom was going to be walking her down the aisle and she just didn’t want to deal with any drama from him on her big day. And it’s not like he was abusive or some monster. She and her husband have hung out with him on occasion…she just couldn’t deal with it on her big day. And that’s not a royal wedding. My point is…you just don’t know what someone’s family dynamic is. And really, I hope the couple is able to just do what will make them happy.
In my reading i came across an article that said she and her father have had a falling out and are no longer on speaking terms and he hasn’t been invited. Then one of his brothers (her uncle) a retired diplomat was slanging her because he hadn’t gotten an invitation and he was the one who got her the internship at the South American embassy that she puts on her resume andf is always talking about. There is apparently another brother who is a Bishop (didn’t name the religion) who hasn’t said anything about being invited or not. Have no idea how true any of it is.
Falling out or not, he still is her father. (And being around film sets since childhood because of HIS work couldn’t have harmed her future career.) Plus, there were also stories, quite a lot of them, about how her father won big at some Californian lottery (which apparently has no record or such a win) and put the money towards Meghan’s education. If that is true, that would be reason enough to acknowledge him by securing him a prominent place at her wedding.
If you visit the Vatican there are strict rules re women normally cover their bare shoulders and arms. So for a memorial service one normally covers their arms let’s face it Harry wasn’t wearing designer shorts. In my view she could have worn a cardigan over her shoulders. Anyway regardless of basic etiquette and church services what will be interesting is if she is brought into line regarding etiquette like wearing stockings or nylons with a dress regardless of weather. As for her father well by now there would be exciting interviews on garden driveways of the forthcoming event by relatives who are close but all we have seen is Doria in her gym gear and her dad on an exercise bike
I hope for both Meghan and her father’s sake that he will attend the wedding. There’s nothing to indicate Meghan is estranged from her father, Thomas Markle. Quite the contrary, when asked about him in interviews, she’s readily talked about him and how supportive he was for her growing up.
Other than the joint statement released by Doria and Thomas about their happiness when the engagement is announced, Thomas Markle, Sr. has not spoken one word to the press or divulged any information. He seems to be living a pretty low-key life of retirement in the Mexican border town. If anything the paps are shadowing him — the photo of him standing at the checkout line of a big box store buying a toilet was pretty intrusive.
I’m guessing, he’s probably keeping his plans to himself so that the rest of his family doesn’t blab them and sell the info to the highest bidding tabloid.
Except he has blabbed. She may be pissed because: He met a totally unknown woman with a baby. He went into the cafe and had a meal with her. He obviously talked about Meghan and her plans because she came out and spoke to the media about it.
He may also be passing on the pressure for an invitation from his horrible other kids.
He may be pissed because: she is not inviting his other kids and/or his brothers.
Not saying any of this is true, just that its possible.