Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle have asked for understanding and respect for her father following a report he would not attend the couple's wedding.
"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."
Earlier US celebrity website TMZ said Thomas Markle would not be attending after it was reported he had staged photographs for a paparazzi photographer.
A Kensington Palace spokeswoman declined to comment on the report or to confirm whether Markle's father would be at the ceremony to walk her down the aisle as planned.
Thomas Markle told TMZ he we not be attending the wedding after suffering a heart attack six days ago.
Markle said his decision also comes after a deal was made public between him and a photo agency who he allowed to take staged photos of him getting ready for the wedding.
He made the decision to be photographed after months of stalking by the media, according to TMZ. In the months leading up to the wedding, photos were published of Markle looking dishevelled and buying beers - which he says were actually for his employees.
That narrative appeared to follow the 'rags to riches' story surrounding Meghan's rise to royalty - despite her coming from a financially stable American family.
He says he was not offered anywhere near $100,000 for the photos as it was claimed in the media.
Thomas had checked out of hospital in Mexico, where he lives, so he could walk his daughter down the aisle, TMZ reports. However on Monday (local time) he decided it best for his daughter if he does not attend, despite being well enough to go.
Meghan will be married on May 19.
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