Thomas Markle Slams Prince Harry For Skipping Grandfather Prince Philip's Memorial Service

Thomas Markle Sr. was among those who disapproved of Prince Harry's decision not to attend Prince Philip's special memorial service last week.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced weeks before the family event that they would not be flying back to the U.K., so they would not be in attendance for the late Duke of Edinburgh's memorial service. Meghan Markle's dad weighed in on the royal prince's decision in the third episode of his YouTube show with Karl Larsen titled "Remarkable Friendship." For Thomas, what Prince Harry did was "unforgivable."

"Attending and giving respect and God's grace to Prince Philip for a lifetime of service was very important to the Queen, and for them to not show up is like a slap in the face to the Queen and unforgivable," he said. "The British people won't forgive them for that, and they shouldn't. Otherwise, it was a good service and went down very well. And well deserved for that man."

Larsen asked Thomas if his daughter might have prompted Prince Harry not to attend the memorial service because the late royal allegedly didn't find actresses "marriage material."

According to Sophia Money-Coutts in a The Sunday Times report in 2019, Prince Philip advised Prince Harry against marrying celebrities. "One steps out with actresses, one doesn't marry them," Prince Philip allegedly told his grandson.

"I don't know what the reason was," Thomas said before adding, "but there was no excuse for it, regardless of what. There's no excuse at all."

Thomas also shared his opinion about Prince Andrew escorting the Queen to the memorial service. According to him, it was not an issue, and he supported Her Majesty's decision.

"She [the queen] was right to take Andrew at her side, and I think some people got a little shocked by that but I think it was the right thing for her and for Andrew," Thomas said.

Many were surprised at the sight of the Duke of York escorting the Queen when she arrived at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip's special thanksgiving memorial service. Being the Queen's escort put Prince Andrew front and center at the gathering just weeks after he settled a sexual assault lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre. Some netizens slammed the Queen and the royal family for allegedly being insensitive and tone-deaf toward sexual assault victims.

However, royal commentator Robert Jobson, author of "Prince Philip's Century," came to the Queen's defense. He denied that Prince Andrew demanded to take center stage and clarified that it was the monarch who decided to be with her second son.

"The Queen made her decision for her own reasons. She was not bullied into [it] by Andrew," Jobson tweeted Thursday. "She asked him to accompany her, and if the Queen asks you to do something, it is not a request."

He added, "The vitriol against Her Majesty is awful. I am not backing Andrew, but it was the Queen's call."