Meghan Markle has confirmed her father will not be attending her wedding on Saturday in a statement from Kensington Palace.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” said the statement. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”
The Royal Wedding has been plagued with controversy in recent weeks, especially surrounding the question of whether Thomas Markle would walk his daughter down the aisle. On Monday, Thomas Markle told TMZ he will no longer be attending the wedding.
He was also embroiled in controversy when it was discovered he was working with a photographer to stage photos of him being measured for a suit and reading up on British landmarks, which he later sold for tens of thousands of dollars, according to the New York Daily News.
Markle also told TMZ he suffered a heart attack last week. He decided he could not fly to England due to heart surgery on Wednesday, which according to TMZ will take a multiple-day hospital stay.
See her full statement below, and watch the royal wedding on May 19 from St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in London.
A statement from Ms. Meghan Markle: pic.twitter.com/TjBNarmuBU
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 17, 2018