The King walked his new daughter-in-law down the aisle after her own father, Thomas Markle, couldn’t attend

Prince Harry, King Charles and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018.Credit : Jonathan Brady – WPA Pool/Getty Images

Meghan Markle’s photo has a special place in King Charles and Queen Camilla’s London home.

On Thursday, Dec. 11, the Queen held a Christmas gathering for children at Clarence House, the royal couple’s primary residence in London. There, family photos displayed on a table could be seen in the background of images from the event, including a portrait from Prince Louis’ 2018 christening featuring Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, as well as Meghan and Prince Harry.

Next to that is a framed picture capturing a special moment between Charles, now 77, and Meghan, now 44, from her 2018 royal wedding. The rare black-and-white snap shows the future monarch linking arms with his new daughter-in-law at St. George’s Chapel, the church inside Windsor Castle where the wedding ceremony took place. While Meghan entered the chapel alone, she was arm-in-arm with Charles for the second part of her walk down the aisle to Prince Harry. When Charles greeted his son, Harry memorably smiled and said, “Thank you, Pa.”

Photo of Meghan Markle and King Charles displayed at Clarence House on Dec. 11, 2025.Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty

The sweet moment came after a change in the original plans. Charles stepped in to escort Meghan down the aisle after it was confirmed that her father, Thomas Markle, would not be attending the royal wedding.

Charles stepped into the duty less than 48 hours before the ceremony.

“It was Meghan’s wish, and she is grateful for the Prince of Wales to be doing it,” a royal source told PEOPLE at the time.

Prince Harry, 41, later described asking his father to do the honors during the documentary Prince, Son and Heir: Charles at 70. “I asked him to, and I think he knew it was coming, and he immediately said, ‘Yes, of course, I’ll do whatever Meghan needs, and I’m here to support you,’ ” the Duke of Sussex said.

The future King Charles and Meghan Markle at her wedding on May 19, 2018.DOMINIC LIPINSKI/POOL/AFP via Getty

Thomas’ attendance at Prince Harry and Meghan’s nuptials came into question in the weeks leading up to the event. Although medical reasons were cited as the reason he couldn’t be at the wedding, Thomas also said in the lead-up that he would not attend in order to avoid embarrassing the royal family and his daughter after it was revealed that he had worked with paparazzi to stage photographs.

Although Prince Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal roles in 2020 and have had an ongoing rift with the royal family, Harry reunited with his father in September, marking their first meeting in 19 months.

Those close to Prince Harry have told PEOPLE that King Charles was not taking his calls, and any messages were left unanswered. Harry has expressed his desire to begin steps towards a rapprochement, telling BBC News in May that he would love a “reconciliation.”

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry; King Charles.Craig Barritt/Getty; Chris Jackson/Getty

The rarely-seen photo from the royal wedding displayed at Clarence House was spotted just days after Thomas, 81, was back in the news as he underwent a leg amputation after a blood clot reportedly cut off circulation. Although Meghan and her father have been estranged in recent years, a representative for the Duchess of Sussex confirmed on Dec. 10 that she was able to get a letter to him at his hospital in the Philippines.

The spokesman said in a statement, “With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”

Meghan spoke about the rift with her father during her and Prince Harry’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying she felt the relationship had been irrevocably damaged and adding, “I’ve lost my father.”