It’s no news that Duchess Meghan and her father Thomas Markle are estranged, ever since he staged those infamous paparazzi shots and skipped out on his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry.
And while the former lighting director was forced to undergo emergency heart surgery at the time of the royal wedding, reports have revealed that he was also absent at Meghan’s first wedding to Trevor Engelson.
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Meghan and Trevor married in 2011 and separated in 2013.
Meghan and Trevor married in Ocho Rios, Jamaica in September 2011 surrounded by more than 100 friends and family members, including Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, but in pictures of the wedding published by a US magazine, Thomas Markle is nowhere to be seen.
READ MORE: Who are Duchess Meghan’s ex boyfriends?
In the days before her wedding to Prince Harry, history repeated itself and the Duchess of Sussex issued a statement confirming that her father would not be there on her big day.
“Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding,” the statement released by Kensington Palace read. “I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.”
“I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support,” she continued. “Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday.”
Prince Charles stepped in at the last moment to escort his daughter-in-law down the aisle.
Despite sharing a close bond when Meghan was growing up, a source for The Daily Mail says that the relationship between the Duchess and her father has been fraught even before she and Prince Harry were romantically linked.
“Behaviour like his doesn’t happen overnight. Why do you think her parents got divorced in the first place?”
“Meghan’s had to deal with a lot of self esteem issues growing up with a narcissist. She has tools to cope with emotional blackmail. She does pray for him.
“That’s Meghan. She does not have a bad bone in her body, but she’s not falling for her dad’s crocodile tears. She’s been down that road far too many times before.”
Thankfully, Meghan has the support of the royal family as well as her mum, who’s rumoured to be relocating to London to be closer with her daughter.
