What Thomas Markle told Prince Harry when he asked to marry Meghan
Thomas Markle has given his first interview since missing the royal wedding, revealing the word of warning he gave Prince Harry when the royal asked permission to marry his daughter.
Speaking on Monday’s Good Morning Britain, Mr Markle revealed he told Harry: “I said to him, ‘You’re a gentleman, promise me you’ll never raise your hand against my daughter’ and I gave my permission.”
He said: “Meghan told me first and then a few times after that Harry got on the phone with Meghan, they got on the phone together, and Harry asked for her hand on the phone.
The 73-year-old told hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid he “wished” he had been the one to walk Meghan into St George’s Chapel, and confessed he cried as he watched Prince Charles do the honours.
The former lighting director, who lives in Mexico, was forced to pull out of the royal wedding last minute to go for a heart operation.
The Duchess of Sussex’s dad said: “The unfortunate thing for me now is I’m a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle.”
But added: “I was honoured. I can’t think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles.
“It might have been a treat for him as well because he didn’t have a daughter.”
He also shared details of his first chat with his new son-in-law.
“He said ‘Hello, Thomas’ and I said ‘Hi, Harry’ and it became a conversation back and forth mostly about politics he was asking me how I was feeling that day and I said how unhappy I was with the President Donald Trump, and that’s how it began,” Mr Markle said.
“We talked a little about how they met and how happy they were with each other.
“He’s quite easy to talk to, he’s quite a comfortable person to talk to. I wasn’t nervous.
“10,000 miles apart it’s hard to be nervous talking to someone on the phone.”
When asked when he knew Meghan and Harry were serious about their relationship, he said: “I can’t give you a date no, it was certainly a few months before the announcement of the engagement.
“My daughter is very intelligent. She knows how to choose who she wants to be with. She’s a smart girl and she made a good pick.
“The royals are very complicated, but she can always rise to that occasion.
“My daughter is capable of anything and she will be a compliment to the royal family.”