Everything you need to know about Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle

IT’S official — Thomas Markle will walk daughter Meghan Markle down the aisle at the royal wedding on May 19. But who is he and why has he been surrounded by controversy?

THE Markle family have been thrust into the spotlight as a result of Meghan’s engagement to Prince Harry.

Here’s everything you need to know about Thomas W Markle, the father of the woman set to marry the sixth in line to the throne:

WHO IS THOMAS MARKLE SNR, WHERE IS HE FROM AND WHAT DOES HE DO?

Thomas W Markle is the father of the actor Meghan Markle, is of Dutch-Irish origin, and was born in 1945.

He is a former television lighting director working on iconic US shows including Married with Children and General Hospital.

Meghan Markle pictured with her father Thomas Markle when she was a child. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

In 2011 he won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Direction for a Drama Series for his work on General Hospital, a long-running US soap.

He was married to Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in 1979 — but they divorced in 1987.

WILL THOMAS MARKLE WALK MEGHAN DOWN THE AISLE?

After some uncertainty it has now been confirmed that Thomas will walk his daughter down the aisle when she marries Prince Harry on May, 19.

Thomas will make the trip from New Mexico, where he is spending his retirement, to attend the wedding.

Meghan’s mother Doria will also attend the wedding along with Meghan’s best friends Jessica Mulroney and Lindsay Roth.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during a visit to Northern Ireland. Picture: AFP/Niall Carson

HOW DOES MEGHAN MARKLE DESCRIBE HER FATHER, THOMAS?

It is clear from social media updates that Meghan has a lot of love for her father.

“Happy Father’s Day, daddy. I’m still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world,” the star wrote on Instagram in 2016 — sharing a throwback snap of her with her father when she was a baby.

Meghan posted this throwback photo of her as a baby with her father. Picture: Instagram

“Thanks for my work ethic, my love of Busby Berkeley films & club sandwiches, for teaching me the importance of handwritten thank you notes, and for giving me that signature Markle nose. I love you xo -Bean,” she added.

Although there were rumours he would be blanked from an invite to the wedding after Meghan decided against asking half-brother Thomas Jnr and half-sister Samantha, it has been revealed that he has been invited — and he will beat his shyness to walk her down the aisle.

WHAT DOES MEGHAN SAY ABOUT HER DAD IN A VIDEO OF HER AS A TEENAGER?

A teenage Meghan told of her fractured relationship with her father in a candid home video shot by her best friend.

The actor was filmed by Ninaki Priddy as they drove around Los Angeles chatting about an upcoming audition.

But as they neared divorced dad Thomas’s home in the city the mood changed — and Prince Harry’s fiancee said: “We aren’t going to go there.”

Meghan confided in a pal about her difficult relationship with dad Thomas — saying: “We aren’t on the best of terms.”

The candid admission was caught on film as an 18-year-old Meghan and then best friend Ninaki Priddy filmed themselves driving around Los Angeles.

The footage, shot when Meghan was an aspiring actor, gives an extraordinary glimpse into the past of Prince Harry’s fiancee.

This story originally appeared on The Sun and is republished here with permission.