In his first televised interview about his daughter Meghan Markle, Thomas Markle Sr has opened up about the moment when Prince Harry asked for his daughter’s hand in marriage, and the devastating time he watched the wedding from a small rented hide-out.
This morning, Markle Sr spoke to Good Morning Britain about the first time the Duchess of Sussex confided in him that she had a new boyfriend, before eventually revealing that the boyfriend was British and that he was - in fact - Prince Harry, and that they should call him ‘H’ for security reasons.
He then revealed that he spoke to the royal afterwards on the phone and gave his blessing for their marriage at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on 19 May.
‘Meghan told me first and then a few times after that Harry got on the phone with her and asked for her hand over the phone,’ he said.
‘I said you’re a gentleman, promise me you’ll never raise a hand against my daughter and of course I give you my permission.’
Describing his son-in-law as a ‘great’ and ‘interesting guy’, the Mexico-based retiree said Harry had ‘made a great pick’ in his daughter, who he described as a ‘princess since the day she was born’.
Markle Sr also opened up about the moment he told the couple he would not make the royal wedding due to an alleged heart attack six days prior to the nuptials, revealing he had ‘absolutely’ wanted to walk his daughter down the aisle.
After learning how severe his health problems were, Markle Sr said he was forced to tell his daughter he wouldn’t be able to attend her big day, much to the couple's sadness.
‘They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I'm sure, and they both said “Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you”,' he revealed.
‘I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle.’
Admitting he was ‘jealous’ of the Prince of Wales having the opportunity to walk Meghan down the aisle, the proud father said he was sad to be left as a ‘footnote in history’, but was appreciative Prince Charles was there to step in at the last minute.
Having prepared a speech for the big day that he didn't get to give, Markle Sr told the news programme how he wanted to regale the newlywed’s wedding guests with the story of how Meghan told him about her relationship with Harry in the early days.
‘I couldn't be more proud of those two, I think they'll do a fabulous job,’ he said. ‘They're great and I love then dearly. I'm very happy to have a new son-in-law.’
Discussing the possibility of parenthood for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan’s father said he expects the couple to try for children soon.
‘She’s wanted children for a long time,’ he revealed. ‘When she met Harry and she spoke about how much she loves him... there’s got to be a child in the making there soon.’
When questioned about his involvement staged paparazzi photos just days before the wedding, Mr Markle said: ‘I accept full responsibility. I can say I'm sorry for those things for the rest of my life, but I'm paying for those things for the rest of my life.
‘But as long as they're happy and have a great life and have some beautiful children and do good things in the world, I'm can't ask for more.’
Revealing he didn’t pose for photos for money, rather to improve his image, Markle Sr added: 'I feel bad about it, I apologise for it and that’s all I can do. That was a mistake.'
In the interview - which is unlikely to have been sanctioned by Kensington Place - Meghan’s father also revealed the ‘interesting conversations’ he’d had with ‘smart’ Prince Harry, in which they allegedly discussed private political views.
‘I was complaining I didn’t like Donald Trump,’ said Markle Sr, adding that his new son-in-law had told him to ‘give Donald Trump a chance’. ‘I sort of disagreed with that but I still like Harry. That was his politics, I have my politics,’ he revealed.
On the subject of Brexit - a topic which the Royal Family have never publicly discussed - Markle Sr continued: ‘It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment for it. I think [Harry] was open to the experiment.’
When it came to discussing several members of his family coming out of the woodwork ahead of the royal wedding, despite not having a close relationship with his daughter, Markle Sr said he thought it was ‘very smart’ for the couple not to invite them to Windsor.
The septuagenarian also revealed he told the royal couple it was a ‘bad idea’ for them to visit him in Mexico due to press attention, adding: ‘I wished they would go on a honeymoon.
‘I look forward to coming to London and seeing them soon, I would love to,’ he gushed.
Markle Sr. said he also knows the couple to be ‘very busy’, and spoke of his respect for the Queen, describing her as ‘one of the most incredible women in the world’.
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