Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, is facing renewed scrutiny on his 81st birthday due to revelations from Prince Harry's memoir Spare.
According to the book, Thomas Markle was at the center of a media scandal that blindsided the Royal Family and left Meghan devastated just days before her royal wedding in 2018.
The memoir claims that Thomas Markle orchestrated a media scandal, seeking attention and even staging paparazzi photos while denying it to his daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law.
Harry wrote, "He swore he'd never staged any photos," recalling how Meghan initially believed him. But when the truth emerged the next morning, Thomas sent them a text that read, "I'm so ashamed."
The fallout from Thomas Markle's actions was immense, leading to public humiliation, a sudden heart attack that prevented him from walking Meghan down the aisle, and relentless emotional fallout for his daughter.
The drama even affected Meghan's relationship with Kate Middleton, with insiders pointing to Thomas' betrayal as the trigger for the now-iconic tension between the two women.
The impact of father of the Duchess's actions continues to reverberate years after the royal wedding.
The bridesmaid drama, which included disagreements over tights and the length of Princess Charlotte's hemline, might never have happened had Meghan not been overwhelmed by the "chaos" her father caused.