In what seems to be an effort to rehabilitate his image, Meghan Markle's father Thomas Markle might have staged those paparazzi photos from a month ago. The Daily Beast reports that he is "embarrassed" about the whole ordeal, and that he was coerced by persistent paps into taking the photos.
Don't remember the pics? Let us refresh your memory. Paparazzi "caught" Markle doing such wedding-ish things as trying on a tuxedo and reading up on Britain with a book titled Images of Britain. The newspaper Mail on Sunday reported Sunday that these photos were staged. Markle allegedly collaborated with photographer Jeff Rayner, an LA-based paparazzo, for the photos. (Coleman-Rayner, Rayner's agency, lists the photos of Markle on its "candids" page. Another photo features Markle lifting weights during a hike.)
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Complicating the matter is Samantha Markle, Meghan's half-sister, who took responsibility for the photos Monday morning via her private Twitter account @SammyMarkle64, according to the British publication The Telegraph.
Meghan Markle's half sister Samantha has taken responsibility for the staged paparazzi photos of their father Thomas Sr, tweeting from a protected Twitter account (@SammyMarkle64):
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) May 14, 2018
"The bad press over my father... is my fault. The media was unfairly making him look bad so I suggested he do positive photos for his benefit and the benefit of the royal family. We had no idea he would be taken advantage of. It was not for money" - Samantha Markle
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) May 14, 2018
"The bad press over my father... is my fault. The media was unfairly making him look bad so I suggested he do positive photos for his benefit and the benefit of the royal family. We had no idea he would be taken advantage of," Markle wrote, adding, "It was not for money."
Additionally, Markle spoke to the ITV show Loose Women, where she claimed that she urged her father to take the photos. "I don't believe he was paid and if he was it was a pittance," Markle said, adding, "I can understand it's awkward for Kensington Palace."
Markle's older brother Thomas Markle Jr. told the Mirror that Thomas Sr. is embarrassed and will likely apologize to the royal family for the photos. "If it is anything like what it has been for me, Dad will have been ground down," Thomas, Jr. explained.
This weekend, Markle will walk his daughter Meghan down the aisle at St. George's Chapel, where she is to wed Prince Harry.