Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, who will walk his daughter down the aisle at Windsor Castle on Saturday, has been caught on CCTV willingly posing for faked photos that have been sold to newspapers around the world for up to £100,000.
The astonishing footage obtained by The Mail on Sunday shows the 73-year-old former lighting director arriving at an internet cafe with photographer Jeff Rayner .
Minutes later, the pair are seen preparing to photograph Mr Markle while he is sitting at a computer looking at a news story about his daughter and Prince Harry .
In other photos, Mr Markle appears to undergo being measured for a wedding suit at a backstreet store.
The Mail on Sunday spoke to the young man seen measuring his waistline and neck.
He was described as a ‘tailor’ in information supplied with the picture but he is actually 17-year-old David Flores, a student who works part-time in a shop supplying tables, chairs and bunting for parties.
In another, Meghan’s father studies a book on British landmarks in preparation for the wedding – but again the image was carefully choreographed.
Former Suits star Meghan is said to be devoted to her father, whose nickname for her is Bean. She credits him with encouraging her Hollywood career by taking her on to the set of the shows where he worked as a lighting director.
Very few pictures of Mr Markle have emerged, so the shots appearing to show him preparing for his starring role at St George’s Chapel on Saturday would have been highly lucrative.
According to the photographer’s website it was taken on April 19. It was published two days later. The Mail on Sunday has discovered that it was taken at a remote hillside – less than a mile from Mr Markle’s home – covered with discarded mattresses, tyres and litter.
There are no witnesses to this shoot, but it is open to speculation as it is an unlikely location for a workout and may have been chosen so that Mr Markle would not be spotted.
