Trouble In Paradise As Meghan Markle’s Father “Pulls Out”

“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding. She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation.”

– ‘Positive photos’ –

Thomas Markle told TMZ he had agreed to pose for a paparazzi photo shoot in a bid to rehabilitate his image, rather than for money, but that he now regretted the move.

The images — in which he was being measured for a suit and admiring a photo of the future royal couple on his computer — sold for $100,000 (83,000 euros/£74,000) according to the Daily Mirror.

TMZ said he had suffered a heart attack last week due to stress and that he still had chest pains.

Markle senior said he had not heard from his daughter since the revelations broke, and that her mother — his ex-wife Doria Ragland — would be a good choice to walk her down the aisle in his place..

Meanwhile, Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Grant, who has criticised the bride-to-be’s relationship with her father’s side of the family, reportedly tweeted that she proposed he poses in the “positive photos” to combat his “bad” portrayal in the press.

Speaking to the Good Morning Britain TV show on Tuesday, she said the episode had taken a toll on his health.

“I don’t know as of today what his plans are, but there’s a very real concern,” she said.

– Gaffe-prone –

Markle’s gaffe-prone American family has been sending royal courtiers into something of a spin by airing its dirty laundry in public.

Kensington Palace had been at pains to project a sense of serenity around preparations for the big day, regularly announcing minor planning details — from the type of carriage the couple will ride to who will bake their wedding cake.