Markle’s father, Thomas, told celebrity website TMZ he was not coming because he had had a heart operation days before the ceremony, in a family drama that has played out under the glare of global media attention.
Some well-wishers in the royal town felt Prince Charles was the right choice as he will soon be the U.S. actress’s father-in-law. Others were hoping that Markle’s mother, African-American Doria Ragland, would walk her down the aisle.
Ragland was due to take tea with Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s grandmother, on the eve of the sumptuous wedding that will be watched by millions across the world.