WINDSOR - Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, will walk Meghan Markle down the aisle at her glittering wedding to his son Prince Harry on Saturday after her own father had to pull out because of ill health.
"Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St George's Chapel on her Wedding Day," Harry's office Kensington Palace said.
"The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to The Royal Family in this way," the palace said.
An update on the #RoyalWedding: pic.twitter.com/wfJ6ZFyzHi
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) May 18, 2018
Her father, Thomas, pulled out of the wedding and was reported to have undergone heart surgery this week in a family drama that was played out under the glare of global media attention. Markle said on Thursday she was sad he could not make it.
Meghan Markle and her father Thomas who had to pull out of this weekend's wedding preparations due to ill health.
Her mother 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.
Outside the ancient stone walls of Windsor Castle, home to the English royal family for nearly 1 000 years, well-wishers mingled with tourists and swarms of television crews under swathes of British and American flags.
Harry will marry Markle, a star of the TV drama "Suits", in Windsor Castle's 15th-century St George's Chapel at a ceremony that begins about 1pm South African time on Saturday.
The newly-weds will then be driven around Windsor in a horse-drawn carriage.