Meghan Markle’s dad Thomas Markle, Sr. will privately apologize to his daughter and Prince Harry for allegedly staging paparazzi shots for $135,000, according to his son.
Thomas Jr., who is estranged from his half-sister Meghan, wrote an open letter to Prince Harry three weeks ago warning him that it’s “not too late” to call off the wedding.
Tom Jr. wrote: “this is the biggest mistake in royal wedding history.”
He added: “Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you,” and he referred to his sister as a “jaded, shallow, conceited woman that will make a joke of you and the royal family heritage.”
In a report by London’s Daily Mail on Sunday, Thomas Sr. allegedly arranged a secret photo shoot with Los Angeles-based photographer Jeff Rayner who staged pictures of Thomas Sr. preparing for his daughter’s big day.
Thomas Jr. tells The Daily Mail his father is “deeply embarrassed” by the cash grab, and he will apologize to the couple in private before the wedding.
According to surveillance footage and witnesses statements, 73-year-old Thomas and Rayner showed up together at an Internet cafe and took photos for around 10 minutes before leaving.
The duo also went to a tailor shop to fake pictures of Meghan’s dad getting a suit fitted, but the store was closed, so they asked a teenager working at the party shop next door to take Thomas’ measurements. Thomas provided the measuring tape to be used in the pictures.
“It was really strange,” said staff member David Flores.
The photographer reportedly received $135,000 for the staged shots, which surfaced shortly after Britain’s royal family asked for paparazzi to leave Thomas Sr. alone.
According to his son, Thomas will still walk his daughter down the aisle during the ceremony at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, England on Saturday.
