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Meghan Markle Still Wants Her Father at Royal Wedding: ‘She Never Disinvited Him’ (Exclusive)

Don’t count out Thomas Markle just yet. Meghan Markle still wants her father to attend her upcoming wedding to Prince Harry, a source tells Us Weekly exclusively.

Related: Meghan Markle Through the Years

“Meghan is devastated that her father isn’t making it,” the insider says. “She has been very upset and would very much like for Tom to be at the wedding. She never disinvited him. She has always wanted him there.”

Meghan Markle, Thomas Markle
Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle www.INSTARimages.com; Mega Agency

As previously reported, Thomas, 73, claimed to TMZ on Monday, May 14, that he suffered a heart attack last week and no longer planned to attend the royal ceremony. He was set to walk his daughter down the aisle at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Saturday, May 19. The news of his planned absence came a day after a video emerged of him seemingly staging photos with paparazzi in Mexico.

Related: Harry and Meghan’s Wedding: Everything We Know

“This is a deeply personal moment for Ms. Markle in the days before her wedding,” Kensington Palace said in a statement on Monday. “She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr. Markle in this difficult situation.”

The former lighting director, who lives in Mexico, has since had a change of heart. He told TMZ on Tuesday, May 15, that he is back in the hospital after experiencing chest pain, but he wants to travel to England if his doctors allow him.

Related: Wedding Essentials Fit for a Princess

“Of course I’d walk her down the aisle,” he told the website. “This is a historic moment. I’d like to be a part of history.”

Thomas also told TMZ that the former actress, 36, tried calling him on Monday, but he was not near his phone. She then sent him a text message that said she loves him and is concerned about his health.

Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, is equally optimistic about their dad making it to the wedding. “I wanted to see him go,” she said on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday. “I didn’t want him deprived of that. But clearly the priority should be whether or not it’s safe for him to do that.”

With reporting by Jennifer Peros.

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