Meghan Markle's Dad Issues A Statement About Missing Baby Archie's Christening

A big day has come and gone in the life of baby Archie Mountbatten-Winsdor as he was baptized into the Church of England on Saturday, July 7. It was a small, intimate affair with just a few friends and family in attendance. Of course, the Duchess of Sussex's mom was there to support her daughter and new grandson, but was Meghan Markle’s dad at Archie’s christening as well?

Visual evidence, posted on the couple's Instagram account, and a statement issued to the the Daily Mail confirmed that Thomas Markle was not present nor was he likely invited to the ceremony this past weekend. "I have been asked if I would have liked to have gone to Britain to see my new grandson being christened," Thomas Markle told the Daily Mail. "I was an altar boy at age 12, a confirmed member of the Queen’s church at age 14, and Archie is my new grandson, so of course I would have enjoyed being there for the blessing." Mr. Markle added in his statement that he wishes Archie and his parents “health and happiness.”

It's not entirely surprising that Markle's dad was MIA from Archie's christening. After all, The Sun has reported that Thomas Markle has been effectively locked out of his daughter’s life ever since he did a series of interviews following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's royal wedding in May 2018.

The christening isn’t the only thing Mr. Markle has missed out on since his daughter joined the royal family. He wasn't at her wedding due to heart attacks he suffered before the event, according to the Daily Mail. Since then, things have soured a bit in his relationship with his daughter. In January, for instance, he reportedly got into an argument on the phone with Prince Harry, according to Cosmopolitan. And following the alleged incident, he went public with his frustrations, telling The Sun that while he’d like to repair the relationship with Prince Harry, he also needs to "Man up and get over it. If I’m the first person who’s insulted you or hurt your feelings, you’ve got a long way to go."

Mr. Markle's attendance may have drawn more attention to Archie's ceremony than there already was, which is something his parents didn't really want, it seems. After all, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex kept things quiet with their son's christening, not allowing the media to photograph them on their way in and out of the ceremony and they only reportedly had 25 people in attendance, according to People.

Following the ceremony, however, they did release two photos on Instagram to commemorate the special event. One showed the family gathered around Prince Harry and Markle, seated with baby Archie. Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, was there alongside two of Princess Diana’s sisters, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale. Prince William and Kate Middleton and Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles completed the gathering.

The second shot is an intimate moment between Markle and Prince Harry, as she holds baby Archie in the christening gown that has been worn by so many other members of the royal family.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are so happy to share the joy of this day with members of the public who have been incredibly supportive since the birth of their son," part of the caption reads. "They thank you for your kindness in welcoming their first born and celebrating this special moment."

For now, it seems that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are keen on keeping things close to home and avoiding any potential family drama or less-than-lovely media coverage. The important thing is that baby Archie and his parents appear to happy and well, and hopefully they'll continue to share more lovely moments and photos of their bundle of joy with their fans.