Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas Markle became one of the most talked about people leading up to her royal wedding to Prince Harry on May 19 at Windsor Castle. From staging paparazzi photos to his heart problems to his not being able to walk his daughter down the aisle, Thomas quickly stole the headlines leading up to the big day.
Now in his first post-wedding interview, Meghan’s dad is sharing his side of the story with “Good Morning Britain.”
Here are 8 things we learned from his interview!
1. Meghan first told her dad she would have to call him “H” when they talked about him!
“The first phone call was ‘Daddy I have a new boyfriend,’ he explained. “And I said ‘That’s really nice.’ The next call was like, ‘he’s British,’ and I said that’s very nice. And the third time round was like ‘he’s a Prince.’ And at that point she said it’s Prince Harry. I said ‘Harry, ok.'” Meghan then told her dad that when they were talking about him, they would have to refer to him as “H” so nobody knew they were talking about once of the royals.
2. He’s only talked to Prince Harry over the phone
Prince Harry and Thomas have only spoken over the phone. “We have yet to see each other face to face. We’ve had interesting conversations over the phone,” Thomas explained. Thomas thinks Prince Harry is a “a very nice man” and “a gentleman” and “very likable.”
3. They talked about politics at one point
“He’s a smart guy – his politics are a little… We talked a few times about Donald Trump and Brexit and things like that. He’s an interesting guy,” Thomas shared with “Good Morning Britain.”
“Our conversation was – I was complaining I didn’t like Donald Trump. He said we should give Donald Trump a chance. I sort of disagreed with that, but I still like Harry. That was his politics, I like my politics,” he added.
4. Thomas asked Prince Harry to never raise his hand against Meghan
“Actually Meghan told me first and then a few times after that Harry got on the phone with Meghan. They called together and Harry asked for her hand over the phone. “I said, ‘You’re a gentleman – promise me you’ll never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I give you my permission,'” Thomas explained.
5. Prince Harry and Meghan warned Thomas about speaking to the press
“Well for the most part it was always – don’t speak to the press, ” Thomas explained. “The rest was, just be careful. But they were very emphatic about not giving any information to the press or talking to them because it just encourages them more. So more or less that’s what I tried to do. “
6. Meghan and Prince Harry forgave Thomas over the staged paparazzi photos
Thomas revealed that his daughter and her fiancé forgave him for trying to improve his image by staging photographs throughout the paparazzi. ” I talked to them both and apologized. I realized it was a serious mistake – but hard to take it back. But here again it was to improve my look. I had been seen as a negative for an entire year,” Thomas explained. “They were very forgiving. It wasn’t that difficult – both Harry and Meghan were very forgiving about it.”
7. He had a widow maker heart attack
“I had what doctors call the widow maker. It would have killed me, so I was in the hospital,” Thomas explained, referencing the heart attack he suffered just days before the royal wedding. “I’m better now. I’ve slowed down a bit but I’m feeling better.”
8. Meghan cried when she found out her dad wouldn’t walk her down the aisle
“Yeah they were disappointed but they both said – and Meghan cried and they both said take care of yourself, we’re worried about you. They said the important thing is I get better,” he shared.
9. He regrets not walking his daughter down the aisle and watched he royal wedding from a B&B
“It was a very emotional moment. I cried about it and I regretted it because I really wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle,” Thomas shared. “I really wanted that moment. But I’m thankful for everything the way it went.”
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