The Duchess of Sussex's father has said his daughter cried when he confessed he would not be attending her wedding to Prince Harry. In a world exclusive interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Thomas Markle said he had broken the news to Meghan in an emotional phone call just days before she was due to walk down the aisle in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Chapel. The 73-year-old watched the wedding from California, where he was recovering from heart surgery. Mr Markle said: "They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I’m sure, and they both said ‘Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you’." In his chat with Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan, Mr Markle spoke of his relationship with the royal family, missing his daughter's wedding and what it's like having a Prince as a son-in-law. 
 
 Mr Markle said Prince Harry told him to 'give Donald Trump a chance' Credit: PA 
 
 On watching the wedding on television 
 
 The retired TV lighting director confessed he had cried as he watched the royal ceremony on television, describing his daughter as “beautiful”. “It was incredible watching her,” he said. “I was very proud. I was very upset that it wasn’t me (walking her down the aisle) but the whole world was watching my daughter. I was very happy about that. “The unfortunate thing for me now is I’m a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat.” 
 
 On Prince Charles walking Meghan down the aisle 
 
 Prince Charles had the honour of walking Meghan down the aisle after Thomas was forced to drop out following heart surgery. 
 
 Mr Markle said he was “honoured” that the Prince of Wales took on the job of walking Meghan down the aisle but made clear his disappointment at not taking on the job himself. "I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle,” he said, adding: "I can’t think of a better replacement than someone like Prince Charles." 
 
 On the staged paparazzi shots 
 
 Much of the run-up to the royal wedding was shrouded by speculation that Mr Markle, who at the time was set to walk his daughter down the isle, had staged paparazzi shots of him preparing his wedding suit. Commenting on the controversy he said: "They'd take photos of me grabbing a beer, take photos of me getting into my car... they'd take photos of me making me look negative." He told GMB he had apologised to both Harry and Meghan, adding: “I realised it was a serious mistake. It’s hard to take it back.” He continued to say that he "spoke to them both and apologised" for the images. He insisted that Harry and Meghan were "very forgiving" and said that everything was still ready for him to attend the wedding in Windsor. He added: "I couldn't get over the fact that had happened, all that stuff was working on me. I had a heart condition." 
 
 On Meghan marrying into royalty 
 
 Seeminlgy unfazed by his daughter marrying into the royal family, Mr Markle said his daughter had "been a princess since the day she was born", adding: "He made a good pick, didn't he?". 
 
 Meghan has been settling into royal life after being shown the ropes by the Queen. Credit: PA 
 
 He also recounted the moment Harry had asked for Meghan's hand in marriage, saying: "Harry asked for her hand on the phone and I said: 'You are a gentleman, promise me you will never raise your hand against my daughter and of course I will grant you my permission'." Speaking of the first time he spoke to his daughter about her new boyfriend, he said: "The first phone calls were 'dad I have a new boyfriend' and I said that's really nice and she said 'He's British' and I said 'That's really nice,' and eventually the third time around was like 'He's a Prince.'" 
 
 Thomas Markle said he 'absolutely wanted' to walk his daughter down the aisle. Credit: PA 
 
 He continued: "And at that point, she said 'it's Harry' and I said 'oh, Harry okay!'" Thomas Markle told Good Morning Britain that his daughter went on to say she had to call Prince Harry 'H' "so that nobody knows" she was dating him before their relationship was made official. 
 
 On Prince Harry, Trump and Brexit 
 
 Asked about her choice of husband, Mr Markle told Good Morning Britian he thought Harry was "great" and "an interesting guy". He also revealed the pair had spoken about politics, and said he had held conversations with the Duke of Sussex about Donald Trump and Brexit. 
 
 Thomas Markle said Prince Harry told him 'to give Trump a chance'. Harry met the president's wife at the Invictus Games in 2017. Credit: PA 
 
 He said: "Our conversation was I was complaining about not liking Donald Trump, he said 'give Donald Trump a chance'. "I sort of disagreed with that." When asked about details of the Brexit conversation, he said: "It was just a loose conversation... I think he (the Duke of Sussex) was open to the experiment." 
 
 On the prospect of royal grandchildren ||||| CLOSE Thomas Markle talks to Good Morning Britain about his first conversations with his now son-in-law Prince Harry. Elizabeth Keatinge has more. Buzz60 
 
 Prince Harry looks at his bride, Meghan Markle, as she arrives accompanied by Prince Charles during their wedding ceremony at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor, May 19, 2018. (Photo: Pool photo by Owen Humphreys) 
 
 Thomas Markle, the father of Duchess Meghan of Sussex who famously skipped his daughter's royal wedding, is opening up about missing the historic event, and sharing a few new tidbits about Prince Harry along the way. 
 
 The 73-year-old gave his first interview since the royal wedding to ITV's "Good Morning Britain" program Monday, telling hosts Susanna Reid and Piers Morgan that he "absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle," though he was proud that Prince Charles took his place. 
 
 He also recalled a conversation he had with Prince Harry before the wedding, in which his daughter's then fiancé expressed an openness to President Trump and Brexit. 
 
 "Our conversation was, I was complaining that I didn’t like Donald Trump. He said, 'Give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that." 
 
 When they talked about Brexit, Markle recalled, "I think he was open to the experiment." 
 
 As for whether Harry is still a Trump supporter, "I would hope not now," Markle said. "At the time he might have been." 
 
 In the interview, which many took to Twitter calling hard to watch, Markle described telling his daughter and Prince Harry that he'd be unable to attend the wedding because of heart problems in an emotional phone call. 
 
 "They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I’m sure, and they both said ‘Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you,'" he said. "I couldn't get over the fact that had happened, all that stuff was working on me. I had a heart condition." 
 
 “It was incredible watching her,” he said. “I was very proud. I was very upset that it wasn’t me, but the whole world was watching my daughter. I was very happy about that." 
 
 “The unfortunate thing for me now is I’m a footnote in one of the greatest moments in history rather than the dad walking her down the aisle," he added. "That upsets me somewhat.” 
 
 Royal wedding drama: Meghan Markle's not alone when it comes to prenuptial stress, chaos 
 
 WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Markle says he feels like a 'footnote in one of the greatest moments in history' after he was unable to attend his daughter's wedding to Prince Harry. 
 
 
 
 Read more: https://t.co/dNFBOt232upic.twitter.com/04NmCQE8Q4 — Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 18, 2018 
 
 He also confirmed that he staged paparazzi photos in the weeks leading up to the wedding, posing for shots that included him trying on suits and reading books about the royal family. 
 
 "They'd take photos of me grabbing a beer, take photos of me getting into my car... they'd take photos of me making me look negative," he said. “I realized it was a serious mistake. It’s hard to take it back.” 
 
 He recalled the first time Duchess Meghan told him about her new boyfriend, in which she waited to disclose his royal pedigree. 
 
 "The first phone calls were, 'Dad, I have a new boyfriend' and I said, that's really nice. And she said, 'He's British' and I said, that's really nice. And eventually the third time around was like, 'He's a prince' ... And at that point, she said, 'It's Harry' and I said 'Oh, Harry okay!'" 
 
 He also predicted that a royal baby won't be far in the future for the couple. "She's wanted children for a long time and when she met Harry and she spoke how much she loves him," he said. "There's got to be a child in the making, somewhere soon." 
 
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 Good Morning Britain 
 
 Meghan Markle's father, Thomas, has given his first TV interview since missing the royal wedding, revealing what Prince Harry allegedly told him in private phone conversations, which included the royal's views about President Donald Trump and Brexit. In an interview on Good Morning Britain on Monday, Markle said he and Prince Harry – who is expected to keep his political opinions private – spoke multiple times over the phone, including about politics. "Our conversation was, I was complaining that I didn’t like Donald Trump," Markle said. "He said, 'give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that. "That was his politics – I have my politics." Interviewer Piers Morgan asked Markle whether he thought Prince Harry was a Trump supporter. Markle replied: "I would hope not now. At the time he might have been." The 30-minute interview with Thomas Markle on morning TV is expected to ruffle the feathers of Kensington Palace, with the newest addition to the royal family's father speaking openly about the apparent private phone calls with his new son-in-law. 
 
 WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan Markle, tells @piersmorgan and @susannareid100 about the moment he gave Prince Harry permission to marry his daughter #GMB https://t.co/3AKKDRVXbI 
 
 On the UK's exit from the European Union, Markle said he thought Prince Harry was open to the "experiment". 
 
 "It was a loose conversation about something we have to try," Markle said. "There was no real commitment to it. "I think he was open to the experiment." When BuzzFeed News reached out to the Kensington Palace regarding the claims made by Markle in the interview, a spokesperson declined to comment. 
 
 Steve Parsons / WPA Rota 
 
 The Duchess of Sussex's father has been at the centre of tabloid attention in recent months, with British newspapers exposing how Thomas Markle had been setting up paparazzi shots in the weeks leading up to the wedding. Markle made an apology for his actions, but said it was an effort to change his image in the media. 
 
 "[Paparazzi would] take pictures of me to look negative," he said. "So I thought this would be a nice way in improving my look. "Obviously that all went to hell, I feel bad about it, I apologise for it and that’s all I can do." 
 
 
 
 Wpa Pool / Getty Images 
 
 He also revealed that when Meghan first told him about her relationship with Prince Harry, they'd call him "H" to keep his identity private. "The first phone call was, 'Daddy, I have a new boyfriend,' and I was like, 'That’s really nice.' Then the next call was like, 'He’s British,' and I said, 'That’s really nice.' Eventually, the third time around was like, 'He’s a prince,' and at that point she said, 'It’s Harry.' And I said, 'Oh Harry ok.' "[She said] 'Of course we’ll have to call him H so no one knows we’re talking about Harry.'" 
 
 Chris Jackson / Getty Images
– The father of the woman once known to the world as Meghan Markle, and now as Duchess Meghan of Sussex, is back in the news. Thomas Markle, who famously did not attend his daughter's wedding after it emerged that he was staging paparazzi shots to make himself look better, has given an interview to Piers Morgan on ITV's Good Morning Britain. It may not go over well in Kensington Palace, notes BuzzFeed, given that the 73-year-old is offering up details of his phone conversations with Prince Harry. Among the highlights: Politics: "Our conversation was, I was complaining that I didn’t like Donald Trump," said Markle, referring to a chat with Harry. "He said, 'Give Donald Trump a chance'. I sort of disagreed with that." Asked if Harry was still a Trump supporter, Markle answered, "I would hope not now. At the time he might have been." The boyfriend: "The first phone call was, 'Daddy I have a new boyfriend', and I was like, 'That’s really nice'. Then the next call was like, 'He’s British', and I said, 'That’s really nice'. Eventually the third time around was like, 'He’s a prince' and at that point she said, 'It’s Harry' and I said, 'Oh Harry, OK." And then: "(She said) 'Of course we’ll have to call him 'H' so no one knows we’re talking about Harry.'" The wedding: Markle described telling his daughter that he'd be unable to attend the wedding because of his heart trouble, made worse by his paparazzi controversy. "They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I’m sure, and they both said ‘Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you,'" he said, per USA Today. He added, "It was incredible watching her."