Meghan Markle's father cried when he saw her walk down the aisle, was envious of Prince Charles

LONDON: The father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has spoken about his grief at being unable to walk his daughter down the aisle to wed Prince Harry in Windsor Castle last month.

Thomas Markle said he cried as he watched his former actress daughter's wedding on television in a small rented hideout in California and felt "jealous" that Prince Charles got to perform the role of walking by his daughter.

"I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle... The unfortunate thing for me now is I'm a footnote to the greatest moment in history rather than the dad who walked his daughter down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat," he told ITV's 'Good Morning Britain' in a video interview from the US.


"I was honoured, I can't think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles. I was thrilled to tears he was doing that, I just wish it had been my hand holding hers not his," he said.

The 73-year-old, who says he is still recovering from his heart surgery, said he got to know Prince Harry over the telephone before giving his blessing to their marriage following their engagement in November last year.


He said, "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. 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 new son-in-law, the sixth-in-line to the British throne, as a "great" and "interesting guy", Markle said Harry "made a great pick" in his daughter, who has been a "princess since the day she was born".

Asked about the possibility of a royal baby being soon on the way, he said his daughter had "wanted children for a long time".

Markle also claimed that he discussed politics with his new royal son-in-law, including the US president and Brexit.

"I was complaining I didn't like Donald Trump. He said 'give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that but I still like Harry. That was his politics, I have my politics," Markle said during the interview.

Asked about their Brexit discussion, he said, "It was just a loose conversation about something we have to try. There was no real commitment for it. I think he was open to the experiment".

In the run-up to the royal wedding on May 19, Markle had become embroiled in controversy over reports he had staged paparazzi photos of himself in wedding-related activities, such as being measured for a new suit.

He explained that it was meant to be "a way of improving my look", adding, "Obviously that all went to hell."

He said he had apologised to both Harry and Meghan.

"I realised it was a serious mistake. It's hard to take it back," said Thomas Markle, who was unable to eventually take part in the wedding ceremony due to heart surgery.

Talking about the moment he told his daughter and her husband-to-be that he would not make the wedding, Markle said, "They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I'm sure, and they both said: 'Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you'."

Saying he had prepared a speech for the big day, Markle said he had hoped to regale wedding guests with the story of how he had told her about "this nice British guy" before thanking the royal family for welcoming her.

"I couldn't be more proud of those two, I think they'll do a fabulous job. They're great and I love then dearly. I'm very happy to have a new son-in-law," said the former Hollywood lighting director who plans to visit London soon to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the rest of the royal family.