Thomas Markle reportedly now wants to attend royal wedding

‘I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history’

Meghan Markle's dad wants to walk her down the aisle after all, according to reports, just a day after he said he'd skip the ceremony to avoid embarrassing the royal family.

On Monday TMZ reported that Mr Markle had chosen not to attend in light of the controversy surrounding his collaboration with the paparazzi, in which shots were staged of him browsing news articles about his daughter online.

But now, in new comments to the same site, Mr Markle has said that he wants to travel to England to participate in the ceremony, but a recent bout of ill-health could prevent him from doing so.

"Of course I'd walk her down the aisle. This is a historic moment. I'd like to be a part of history. I hate the idea of missing one of the greatest moments in history and walking my daughter down the aisle,” Mr Markle told TMZ.

Mr Markle explained that he’d suffered a heart attack a week ago, with doctors informing him that his heart had been “seriously damaged.”

With this in mind, there is the possibility that his doctors will advise him not to leave the hospital.

However, if they give him the all-clear, Mr Markle has stated that he will do his best to travel to the UK so that he can be there to watch his daughter Meghan marry Prince Harry.

Mr Markle explained that Meghan had tried contacting him on the phone on Monday, but that he’d missed her call.

She then sent him a text in which she wrote that she loved him and was worried for the state of his wellbeing.

The text also supposedly made it clear that Meghan isn’t upset with her father for striking a deal with the paparazzi.

The Mail on Sunday recently claimed that photos of Mr Markle that had been circulating in the media that showed him reading about his daughter’s relationship online had in fact been staged by him and a British photographer.

However, he doesn’t seem to think that the Queen would have been concerned with the issue.

“I don’t think the Queen is thinking about what I’m doing,” he said.

Meghan's brother, Thomas Markle Jr., has written a letter to his sister asking for an invite for the wedding.

When contacted for a statement about the news that Mr Markle now plans on attending the wedding, Kensington Palace told The Independent to refer to their previous statement regarding Meghan's father:

"This is a deeply personal moment for Ms Markle in the days before her wedding," a palace spokesman said.

"She and Prince Harry ask again for understanding and respect to be extended to Mr Markle in this difficult situation."