It sounds like Buckingham Palace might be on the verge of bucking tradition once again. According to Us Weekly, the upcoming wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle will feature an unconventional walk down the aisle. Instead of having her father, Thomas Markle, escort her, as is tradition, Markle is reportedly considering the option of walking down the aisle with her mother, Doria Ragland.
“With the wedding, they both want to do things their way,” says Us Weekly’s source. “While they will always be mindful of traditions and the views of their elders, the day is ultimately about them and what they want to do.”
Meghan is incredibly close to her mom, a yoga instructor and social worker, and on multiple occasions has spoken of the outsized influence she’s had on her life. Harry also has grown close to Doria in recent months. The two were spotted enjoying the Invictus Games in London together from a balcony, and it was there that the Prince reportedly asked her permission for Meghan’s hand in marriage before he proposed. During their post-engagement televised interview, Harry also called Doria “amazing.”
In contrast, Meghan and her father aren’t quite as tight. Her parents divorced when she was only six years old, and her father, who used to work as a TV lighting director in Los Angeles, now lives in Mexico. But the 73-year-old has already expressed his interest in walking her down the aisle, telling Britain’s Daily Mirror, that he’d “love to.”
So don’t write him off just yet. For starters, when Meghan and Harry announced their engagement, both of her parents issued a statement together congratulating the couple on their big news. “We are incredibly happy for Meghan and Harry. Our daughter has always been a kind and loving person. To see her union with Harry, who shares the same qualities, is a source of great joy for us as parents,” it read. And in 2016, Meghan shared an emotional tribute to her dad on Instagram, which read: “Happy Father’s Dad, daddy. I’m still your buckaroo, and to this day your hugs are still the very best in the whole wide world. 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.”
Guess we’ll find out come May 18th who will be the lucky one to walk the bride down the aisle in what will inarguably be the biggest wedding of the year. Better yet—perhaps both of her parents will do the honors!
