AceShowbiz - Meghan, Duchess of Sussex cried over the phone when her father Thomas Markle announced he wouldn't be attending her wedding to Prince Harry.

Two days before the royal wedding was due to take place at Windsor Castle in England on 19 May, Meghan confirmed that her dad wouldn't be at the ceremony because he wasn't well enough to travel following major heart surgery.

In a candid interview with Good Morning Britain on Monday, June 18, Thomas, who is "feeling much better", revealed that his daughter cried when he told her the bad news over the phone.

"They were disappointed," he said. "Meghan cried, I'm sure, and they both said, 'Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you and the important thing is that you get better.' I told them to worry about the wedding."

After Thomas withdrew from the big day, Harry’s father Prince Charles walked Meghan down the aisle of St George's Chapel, and Thomas said he was "honoured" to be replaced by the British royal.

"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," he added. "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."

The 73-year-old, who said he had prepared a speech for the wedding, spoke to Meghan and Harry "a day, a day a half" after the service, and he told her she looked beautiful and they talked about coming to see him, but he said it was a bad idea. He is now hoping to come to London to meet Harry in person once he is fully recovered.

Recalling how Harry asked for Thomas' permission to marry the former Suits actress during a call, he said: "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'."