Royal wedding 2018: Which family members have been invited to Meghan Markle’s wedding?
THERE are just days to go until the royal wedding 2018 but the final furlong has proved to be bittersweet for Meghan Markle following speculation her father will no longer be attending. But which family members have been invited to the nuptials of the former US suits star?
Royal expert: Meghan Markle is devastated about her father
Meghan Markle, 36, has begun arriving guests, including her former Suits co-stars, ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry, 33, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle.
The royal plans took a knock-back in recent hours after it was reported Meghan’s father Thomas Markle, 73, had pulled out of the proceedings entirely.
He had been due to walk his daughter down the aisle in front of 600 guests on Saturday but this now looks unlikely after recent snaps showing his wedding preparations were revealed as staged photos.
He told TMZ he wanted to spare Meghan further embarrassment by staying away, also revealing he had suffered a heart attack in the last week.
Kensington Palace issued a statement on behalf of Meghan and Harry asking for “understanding and respect” to be offered in light of Mr Markle’s admission.
Which family members have been invited to Meghan Markle’s wedding?
Meghan’s relationship with estranged members of her extended family has grown strained in recent weeks.
Her half-brother and sister, Thomas Jr and Samantha, have repeatedly spoken out against their younger sibling after being refused invites.
Thomas Jr. even wrote a letter to Prince Harry telling him it was “not to late” to call off the wedding, saying the union would be “the biggest mistake in royal wedding history”.
At this stage, it looks like Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, 61, will be her only relative to attend the wedding.
The pair are said to be close with Meghan writing about her on her now-defunct lifestyle website The Tig.
A 2014 post describing her mother read: “Dreadlocks. Nose ring. Yoga instructor. Social worker. Free spirit. Lover of potato chips & lemon tarts. And if the DJ cues Al Green’s soul classic ‘Call Me’ just forget it.
“She will swivel her hips into the sweetest little dance you’ve ever seen, swaying her head and snapping her fingers to the beat like she’s been dancing since the womb.
“And you will smile. You won’t be able to help it. You will look at her and you will feel joy. I’m talking about my mom."
Ms Markle's sister-in-law Tracy Dooley was pictured arriving at Heathrow Airport with sons Tyler and Thomas on Monday night.
But Ms Dooley, who was married to Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle, previously admitted to Good Morning Britain she did not have an invite.
This did not stop her uploading pictures of London landmarks onto Facebook of her family’s arrival, however, captioning the images with the words: “We’re here! Yay!”
Meghan Markle's nephew, Tyler, 25, uploaded an image of the Imperial War Museum, as well as a photograph of the inside of a hotel room.
He wrote: "Just touched down in London!!! Man what a journey so far. We're safe and sound!”
Kensington Palace has not confirmed if the family are attending the wedding.