Meghan Markle's Father to Undergo Heart Surgery
After days of back and forth, Meghan Markle‘s father will not be attending the royal wedding.
Thomas Markle, Meghan’s father, told TMZ that he is set to undergo heart surgery at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, and will not be able to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding on Saturday.
“They [doctors] will go in and clear blockage, repair damage and put a stent where it is needed,” he said.
On Monday, Thomas told TMZ that he had suffered a heart attack last week, but had checked himself out of the hospital so he could attend Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry. On Tuesday, He told TMZ that he was back in the hospital, suffering from chest pains. After spending time in the hospital on Tuesday, doctors told him that he would need to undergo surgery on Wednesday morning. He says that the heart attack he reportedly suffered last week caused major damage.
Thomas also said that he believes his heart attack was caused by the open letter his son, Thomas Markle Jr., wrote to Harry two weeks ago, warning him against marrying Meghan, his half-sister.
Over the past two days, Thomas’s attendance at Harry and Meghan’s upcoming nuptials has been in question. On Monday, he said he would not attend the wedding in order to avoid embarrassing the royal family and his daughter after it was revealed that he had worked with paparazzi to stage several photographs ahead of the royal wedding. Then on Tuesday, he told TMZ that he wanted to make it to London to walk Meghan down the aisle, pending his health. He says he received texts from Meghan telling him that she wanted him to be present for her wedding.
“I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,” he said. “Of course I’d walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I’d like to be a part of history.”
Kensington Palace originally announced that he’d be walking Meghan down the aisle on May 4.
Meghan and Harry’s office at Kensington Palace issued a statement on Monday underlining that her father’s vow not to come over to the U.K. was a “deeply personal moment” for the 36-year-old. The palace had no additional comment on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on PEOPLE
