Meghan Markle: Family and Background - November 2017-May 2018

[Countessmeout]

I do hope her father is there because she clearly cares deeply for him. However, I did not see him in any of the photos from her first wedding, and he seems to have chosen a very reclusive life in retirement. Unlike his 2 older children he seems to avoid any part of the limelight. The press stalking him at his residence in Mexico (as they do w/ Doria in LA) was inexcusable IMO.

Her first marriage was a casual beach party event. Not a big family wedding. Its not any sign that Tom may or may not attend her second. A big formal church wedding, not just a royal one, is a very different situation.

He and Doria have not sought the limelight as they respect their daughter. And they respect her privacy. Unlike Samantha and her brother.

 

[Dman]

Her Father will be there!

 

[Osipi]

You know this for sure? How? Can you provide sources?

 

[Dman]

I think it’s pretty obvious that her Father will walk her down the aisle. It’s just that her Mother and Father have to make it over to Britain for the wedding rehearsals. If he’s ill, perhaps Charles or William will do the honor of walking her down the aisle. I just don’t think we have to worry about that though. Her Father will be there.

 

[royal rob]

Until this rumor has some credibility I can sink my teeth into, I'm ignoring rumors.

Yes I’m not believing this either will wait and see

 

[Osipi]

I think it’s pretty obvious that her Father will walk her down the aisle. It’s just that her Mother and Father have to make it over to Britain for the wedding rehearsals. If he’s ill, perhaps Charles or William will do the honor of walking her down the aisle. I just don’t think we have to worry about that though. Her Father will be there.

I'm just not going to assume anything until there's an official release of information. I do think that Meghan's dad will most probably be there and walk her down the aisle but that's just me assuming how things might be. If Tom, Sr. isn't able to make it, my vote would be for Doria to walk her daughter down the aisle. Its also quite possible that Meghan could chose to walk solo down the aisle by herself. That scenario wouldn't surprise me either.

 

[carlota]

it occurred to me how similar meghan's profile is to wallis simpson's, that of an american divorcee, and that it was only in 2002 that the anglican faith, which the queen is head of, only allowed then that divorced people were able to remarry if their ex-spouse was still alive. had this happened in the 30s, harry would have probably removed himself from the line of succession in order to marry, and had this been only 15 years ago, they wouldn't have been able to marry at all.

 

[Somebody]

That's why Anne chose to remarry in Scotland, so the BRF has been creative before to avoid such an issue even though the queen is the head of the CoE.

 

[jacqui24]

it occurred to me how similar meghan's profile is to wallis simpson's, that of an american divorcee, and that it was only in 2002 that the anglican faith, which the queen is head of, only allowed then that divorced people were able to remarry if their ex-spouse was still alive. had this happened in the 30s, harry would have probably removed himself from the line of succession in order to marry, and had this been only 15 years ago, they wouldn't have been able to marry at all.

Actually, there are differences. If the situations were truly alike, it’s unlikely that Meghan and Harry would be allowed to marry in CoE even today. While the rules have changed to allow some remarriage, there are still limitations. Based on this Archbishop of Canterbury, he might choose not to marry them had Harry been a party to Meghan’s divorce, which was the case for Edward and Wallis. And Margaret and Peter Townsend. And of course, Charles and Camilla. Bottom line is Meghan’s case is the least likely to be blocked from remarrying in the church as long as it’s allowed. Charles and Camilla could’ve as the rules were already changed, but the fact that they had an affair during their marriages is a sticky point.

 

[Tarlita]

I believe Mr Markle senior has the fortitude to travel to the Uk and walk his daughter down the isle. It will be a simple matter to seclude him and Doria in Windsor Castle a few days before the wedding being looked after by the Royal Household and spending time with their daughter and Harry. Neither of them will be bothered by the press if they stay at the Castle. This wedding should be a wonderful time in all their lives.

 

[Stefan]

I think it’s pretty obvious that her Father will walk her down the aisle. It’s just that her Mother and Father have to make it over to Britain for the wedding rehearsals. If he’s ill, perhaps Charles or William will do the honor of walking her down the aisle. I just don’t think we have to worry about that though. Her Father will be there.

If her father is not there or can walk her down the aisle i think Harry and Meghan could also walk in together. Like it was done at the dutch Royal Weddings.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I believe Mr Markle senior has the fortitude to travel to the Uk and walk his daughter down the isle. It will be a simple matter to seclude him and Doria in Windsor Castle a few days before the wedding being looked after by the Royal Household and spending time with their daughter and Harry. Neither of them will be bothered by the press if they stay at the Castle. This wedding should be a wonderful time in all their lives.

Yes, I tend to agree that there's just a lot of gossip making the rounds. And in the video the source of the gossip is said to be Samantha. Therefore, a dead giveaway that it's questionable. Samantha is likely just interested in continuing to stir things up against Meghan. I doubt anyone in the Markle family is even speaking to Samantha, so she surely knows nothing about Tom Sr's plans.

I would also imagine that both of Meghan's parents are proud and happy for her, and would not want to miss the most important day of her life to this point. It would be cool if both parents walked Meghan down the aisle, and failing that perhaps Meghan's Mom and Markus Anderson (Meghan's dear friend who has been like a brother to her since they met about 4 or 5 years ago). Most likely Anderson, Jessica Mulroney, and Lindsay Roth are candidates to become godparents to H&M's future children, along with some of Harry's closest friends and mentors.

The other thing is that if Tom Sr's health is in question, a security detail could accompany him to London and he could be seen by doctors there in advance of the wedding. I'm sure that Prince Harry is keen to meet Meghan's Dad. Probably H&M are in touch with both of Meghan's parents by phone often.

 

[ACO]

The "source" isn't even Samantha. It is Tom's Jr ex fiancee (not to be mistaken for ex wife or current fiancee) Now she is cashing in on Meghan. Her claim to this 5 minutes of fame is that she was with Jr for 16 years and saw the Markle's dynamics. So blah blah blah.

I think the only thing that will keep her dad away will be health but he seems just fine to be in what we have seen of him recently. Just annoyed the press won't leave him alone. I think he will be there and will walk her. The media just grasping at anything right now.

 

[Lady Reem]

Her first marriage was a casual beach party event. Not a big family wedding. Its not any sign that Tom may or may not attend her second. A big formal church wedding, not just a royal one, is a very different situation.

He and Doria have not sought the limelight as they respect their daughter. And they respect her privacy. Unlike Samantha and her brother.

Beach weddings, registry weddings etc., are still weddings though regardless, and it was her first wedding too and possibly could’ve ended up being her only one. Her mother was there as well. Perhaps he was ill and couldn’t attend. Either way we can only speculate on here as known of us really know.

 

[Lady Reem]

Yes, I tend to agree that there's just a lot of gossip making the rounds. And in the video the source of the gossip is said to be Samantha. Therefore, a dead giveaway that it's questionable. Samantha is likely just interested in continuing to stir things up against Meghan. I doubt anyone in the Markle family is even speaking to Samantha, so she surely knows nothing about Tom Sr's plans.

I would also imagine that both of Meghan's parents are proud and happy for her, and would not want to miss the most important day of her life to this point. It would be cool if both parents walked Meghan down the aisle, and failing that perhaps Meghan's Mom and Markus Anderson (Meghan's dear friend who has been like a brother to her since they met about 4 or 5 years ago). Most likely Anderson, Jessica Mulroney, and Lindsay Roth are candidates to become godparents to H&M's future children, along with some of Harry's closest friends and mentors.

The other thing is that if Tom Sr's health is in question, a security detail coudld accompany him to London and he could be seen by doctors there in advance of the wedding. I'm sure that Prince Harry is keen to meet Meghan's Dad. Probably H&M are in touch with both of Meghan's parents by phone often.

BTW, It was an ex sister-in-law apparently, NOT Samantha.
Samantha desperately wants him at a Meghan’s wedding judging by what she tweeted not that long ago while her tweets were unlocked. She tweeted it would be “poetic justice” for Tom Snr to walk Meghan down the aisle and that it was his “right” as her dad to do so.
I think we will see either parent (Doria, or Tom) maybe even both of Meghan’s parents walk her down the aisle.

 

[Juliette2]

I don't normally follow this thread, but just reading the last posts makes me sad. What a dysfunctional family!.
It makes Uncle Gary look like a gentleman...

 

[Lady Reem]

Wallis Simpson was twice divorced before she married Edward. Meghan is divorced just the once same as the Princess Royal and quite a few members of the British Royal Family.

I know it doesn’t need repeating but Meghan is a biracial woman who worked and earned her own money and tries to make a better difference for people in need and those she feels are sidelined. She actually started as a youngster.

Oh and she hasn’t mingled with Nazis and the like either.

Simply put, her American nationality is where any similarity with Simpson begins and ends.

 

[Nice Nofret]

Quite right: and her first marriage was only a restistry one - NOT a church wedding at all.

 

[Madame Verseau]

Samantha would be disappointed if their dad doesn't go because it blows her chances to go to the wedding. She can go as Dad's plus one, a way around not getting an invite. The TV gig may not be live commentary, what she says is useless unless she is actually a guest. So no TV deal.

ABC television network is doing a special on the royals. Of course Meghan and Harry will be in it. If the Markles are mentioned the ones selling stories are not going to look good. ABC's legal team is going to make sure the network is open to libel suits, even frivilous ones.e

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Beach weddings, registry weddings etc., are still weddings though regardless, and it was her first wedding too and possibly could’ve ended up being her only one. Her mother was there as well. Perhaps he was ill and couldn’t attend. Either way we can only speculate on here as known of us really know.

Or maybe he just didn't want to bother with the social and travel aspects of a destination wedding. It sounds like he is living a quiet, low key life.

Samantha would be disappointed if their dad doesn't go because it blows her chances to go to the wedding. She can go as Dad's plus one, a way around not getting an invite. The TV gig may not be live commentary, what she says is useless unless she is actually a guest. So no TV deal.

ABC television network is doing a special on the royals. Of course Meghan and Harry will be in it. If the Markles are mentioned the ones selling stories are not going to look good. ABC's legal team is going to make sure the network is open to libel suits, even frivilous ones.e

I doubt this is the type of wedding where you get a plus one. I think the name on the invitation is the only one who gets in.

And Tom Sr wouldn't need an invitation at all if he is part of the wedding party.

 

[ACO]

Samantha won't be plus nothing.

 

[Somebody]

If her father is not there or can walk her down the aisle i think Harry and Meghan could also walk in together. Like it was done at the dutch Royal Weddings.

An important difference is that the Dutch couples are married when they enter the church while Harry and Meghan are not yet married. Of course, they can still walk in together but there is a clear difference between their situations.

Quite right: and her first marriage was only a restistry one - NOT a church wedding at all.

Would it really matter to a parent? "Dad, I am getting married and throwing a party, mom is coming as are my friends but don't bother coming as it is not a church wedding" (which by the way is very logical as I have never been a church member all my life).

Or maybe he just didn't want to bother with the social and travel aspects of a destination wedding. It sounds like he is living a quiet, low key life.

Well, he would need to travel quite a bit further this time including much more hassle... It was and now will be his daughter getting married. You would need a far better reason for not attending your child's wedding than 'I love my quiet life".

 

[Stefan]

An important difference is that the Dutch couples are married when they enter the church while Harry and Meghan are not yet married. Of course, they can still walk in together but there is a clear difference between their situations.

It is also the tradition of the protestant Church in Sweden which was followed at the wedding of Carl Gustaf and Silvia but not at the 3 recent Weddings (there was a huge discussion before Victoria's Wedding). And there the couples are also not married because if you marry in Church Sweden one doesn't need another Ceremony.
But i think if for whatever reason her father or another Familymember of her Family can not walk her down the aisle would it not be more natural for her to go in together with her future husband then with her furutre brother- or father-in-law?
And as for the dutch Wedding's Willem-Alexander and Máxima and also Friso and Mabel also went in together at the civil Ceremonies when they where not married yet.

 

[MARG]

Having read the many, many articles, etc. about Thomas Markle Snr, the fact that he has retired to the point of almost becoming a recluse makes me think he may very well have a significant health issue such as a heart problem or a social phobia.

You cannot see it, it's not like he has a cast on it for everyone to point and say "see, he's got a problem". But, his lifestyle is so diametrically opposed to his life and he seems to have gone to some lengths to distance himself from all of his children whom he could find very stressful.

If indeed that were the case, he may very well not attend the wedding. I Hope this is not the case and that he does indeed attend, both for himself and Meghan.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Hopefully Meghan's Dad can at least make the trip, even should he not be able to withstand walking her down the aisle. I see no problem really with Meghan's Mom walking her down the aisle if her father cannot. Plus Meghan's Mom has a younger half-brother (son of Doria's father Alvin Ragland and his second wife, Ava Burrow). This uncle of Meghan's (Alvin Joffrey Ragland) is two years younger than her. And reportedly, he is close to Meghan and her Mom. So he may be at the wedding. As a male relative (and the younger son of Meghan's maternal grandfather), Alvin Joffrey could also walk Meghan down the aisle if her father cannot.

In the below DF article updated in October 2017, there's a picture of Alvin Joffrey with his mother, Ava -- scroll all the way down
DailyMailTV reveals Meghan Markle's family roots | Daily Mail Online

Another photo of Alvin Joffrey Ragland:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/randomragland

Of course, there's also Markus Anderson of Soho House, who is like an older brother to Meghan. He could just as easily walk her down the aisle too, if her father cannot. Meghan's other maternal uncle, Joseph Johnson Jr., who sold family pictures to the media, is unlikely to be invited.

Meghan is also close to her niece, Ashleigh Hale, who is an attorney.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/roya...riend-Meghan-Markle-inspired-niece-Suits-role
Ashleigh's mother is Samantha Markle, but thankfully, Ashleigh and her brother, Christopher, were raised by their father's parents. So there are quite a few extended relatives in Meghan's family, including her mother's sister, Saundra, and her offspring. It's not clear if Meghan is close to her Aunt Saundra. Then there's Tom Markle, Sr.'s brother Fred (Father Dismas) who runs a religious congregation in Florida. He seems just as reclusive as Meghan's father.

 

[Zaira]

Meghan's family is certainly complex! But then again, most families are rather messy when exposed to such public scrutiny. Kind of reminds of the drama of Obama's extended family in his rise to power.


I've said before that I have found the situation with Tom Sr (not meeting Harry, etc) strange, and I would find it strange if he did not walk her down the aisle or attend her wedding. Tom seems like a devoted man and seems to have been very close to Meghan as late as 2016, so unless something happened I can't imagine he won't make every effort he can to be at her big wedding and support her on one of the happiest but also most stressful days of her life with the whole world watching.

If his health is such that he can't walk down the aisle, hopefully he will still attend and maybe just meet her at the alter. Diana's father was in poor health at her wedding and leaned heavily on her while going down the aisle which she later said heightened her stress.

I suppose we will find out soon enough. If memory serves, we learned more about the wedding party and invite list about 4-6 weeks out from William and Kate's wedding and they seem to be following a similar schedule.

 

[Somebody]

It is also the tradition of the protestant Church in Sweden which was followed at the wedding of Carl Gustaf and Silvia but not at the 3 recent Weddings (there was a huge discussion before Victoria's Wedding). And there the couples are also not married because if you marry in Church Sweden one doesn't need another Ceremony.
But i think if for whatever reason her father or another Familymember of her Family can not walk her down the aisle would it not be more natural for her to go in together with her future husband then with her furutre brother- or father-in-law?
And as for the dutch Wedding's Willem-Alexander and Máxima and also Friso and Mabel also went in together at the civil Ceremonies when they where not married yet.

I fully agree that having her future father-in-law or brother-in-law walk her down the aisle would be illogical - her mom would be the obvious choice if her father wouldn't be up for it; and otherwise she could either walk down herself or with her future husband. The 'trouble' is that in the CoE liturgy the question of 'whom presents this woman to be married' (don't remember the line exactly) is included, so unless they change the liturgy, someone needs to present her and that cannot be Harry.

Regarding the walking in together at the civil ceremony at the Dutch ceremonies; it is indeed not common for a father to walk his daughter down the 'aisle' at the civil ceremony (not much walking going on either); although apparently more recently that happens at times.

 

[Curryong]

I'm hoping that Tom will really make an effort, in spite of possible social phobias and bad health, to walk his daughter down the aisle. If he can't and just attends as a guest, then I like the idea of Meghan's uncle Alvin escorting her. I think that would be marvellous.

I'm really looking forward to seeing more of the guest list and further plans in a few weeks. Only just over two months to go now!

 

[MaiaMia_53]

I agree with you @Curryong. Not much is known about Alvin Joffrey Ragland. He looks somewhat like his father Alvin Ragland (who was Meghan's grandfather).

There's a sweet family picture of Meghan being held by her grandfather Alvin Ragland in the below DF article -- scroll down for the family group photo, which includes Tom Markle, Jr. playfully holding up Meghan's ponytail:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...amily-share-intimate-private-photo-album.html (among the photos sold to DF by Doria's older half-brother, Joseph Johnson, Jr.).


@Somebody, as I posted earlier, there are clearly plenty of relative alternatives and close friend options should Meghan's Dad be unable to walk her down the aisle.

I remember that about Diana's Dad. He was quite frail, and it seemed somewhat of a stressful ordeal, but he also seemed determined to do the honors. That's the first I've heard about Diana being stressed out having to support her Dad. She also was carrying the weight of that elaborate dress she was wearing.

 

[Somebody]

@Somebody, as I posted earlier, there are clearly plenty of relative alternatives and close friend options should Meghan's Dad be unable to walk her down the aisle.

I fully agree... But apparently I am not communicating that well

However, would Meghan be ok with the liturgy and which someone else presents her to be married (hmm, going a little off-topic); especially if that someone else is nog her parent?