Soon-to-be royal Meghan Markle announced Thursday that her father will no longer be attending her wedding to England’s Prince Harry.
In her first solo statement released by Kensington Palace, Markle confirmed that her father will “sadly” not be attending the ceremony as he recovers from a recent heart surgery.
“I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health,” the statement read.
A statement from Ms. Meghan Markle: pic.twitter.com/TjBNarmuBU
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 17, 2018
Markle reportedly suffered a heart attack and is currently hospitalized on bed rest while he recovers. Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland is reportedly set to walk her down the aisle for the royal ceremony Saturday.
Prior to Thomas Markle’s health concerns, the status of his invite was already being called into question by the tabloids. Last week it was revealed that he’d sold paparazzi photos of himself reading a picture book about England (which quickly became a meme), and he had told TMZ he was no longer interested in walking his daughter down the aisle after realizing the tension it had caused. The tabloid drama is a moot point now, though, with Markle’s health ultimately squashing any discussions about whether he’d caused enough drama to get cut out of the ceremony altogether.