Royal Wedding 2018

Meghan Markle's dad is hurting from the fallout over his deal with a paparazzi agency -- hurting both physically and emotionally, and it looks like he's going back to the hospital as early as Monday night.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ, he's experiencing serious chest pains ... this after his heart attack 6 days ago. He says the pains have been triggered by emotional upset. He specifically mentioned his oldest daughter, Samantha Grant, who has been shading Meghan in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

Thomas tells us, "I've been popping Valium for the pain, especially when I hear about my oldest daughter."

He tells us he has not heard from Meghan since TMZ ran the story that he has decided not to go to the wedding and give her away.

Thomas thinks Meghan's mother -- his ex-wife -- Doria Ragland, is a good choice for walking Meghan down the aisle.

He says he checked out of General Hospital in Mexico a few days ago, which he says is a "charity hospital," but he feels he needs to go to another hospital soon because he's worried he might be on the verge of another heart attack. The coronary he suffered 6 days ago was his second.

The guy who played Prince William in Lifetime's "Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance" says even he was surprised when he wasn't given a prosthetic to play the future king of England.

We spoke to actor Burgess Abernethy about his role in the TV movie, which was met with a ton of criticism because a lot of viewers didn't think he looked anything like the real Wills -- and turns out, Burgess didn't think so either.

Burgess says hair, wardrobe and makeup helped a little, and he's still got the bald spot to prove it ... but ultimately, nailing the accent was his saving grace and helped him embody Will's spirit -- even if he's not a dead ringer for the guy. Like he says ... it was his own version of PW.

As for the haters ... seems there's only really one critique Burgess cares about.

Meghan Markle's mom may have to make a quick transformation -- both in apparel and location -- because she's now the leading candidate to walk her daughter down the aisle.

Doria Ragland was going about her business in L.A. Monday, just 5 days before her daughter gets hitched to Prince Harry. The yoga instructor has been keeping a low profile, but that's about to change.

TMZ broke the story ... Doria's ex-husband, Thomas Markle, was supposed to give Meghan away, but he tells TMZ he's no longer going to the wedding because of the photo scandal. He made a deal with a paparazzi agency for some photo ops in return for cash, and the story presumably pissed off the Royals.

Thomas says he wanted to go to the wedding so badly ... he left the hospital prematurely after suffering a heart attack just 6 days ago because he wanted to attend the nuptials.

No official word on who will be substituting for Thomas, but we're sure it's not her half sister, so our money's on Doria.

Meghan Markle's father will not be walking her down the aisle Saturday ... he isn't going to the wedding at all because of the fallout over selling photos of himself ... TMZ has learned.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ, he meant no harm to Meghan or the Royal Family when he made a deal to allow a photo agency to take pics of him getting ready for the wedding. He says he had a reason and it was not principally about money.

Markle tells us over the last year he's been ambushed by paparazzi who have photographed him in the most unflattering circumstances ... buying beer, looking disheveled and reclusive. He's especially upset that they made him look like a lush. Thomas says he doesn't even drink beer ... he was buying it for the guards at the place where he lives.

He says since his daughter started dating Prince Harry he's been offered anywhere between $50,000 and $100k for interviews and he's turned all of them down.

Thomas says the paparazzi agency approached him, offered him money -- though nowhere near the reported $100k -- and he figured there was no harm in it and it would help recast his image.

He admits the pics look "stupid and hammy." He says he was just going along with the paparazzi agency, which he now deeply regrets.

And, Thomas says, he suffered a heart attack 6 days ago but checked himself out of the hospital so he could attend the wedding. He's now decided not to go because he doesn't want to embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter.

Meghan Markle's extended family wasn't invited to the Royal wedding, but that didn't stop them from jetting off to London.

Meghan's nephew Tyler and his brother, Thomas Dooley, arrived at London Heathrow Airport along with their mother Tracy Dooley, who was the wife of Meghan's half brother, Thomas Markle Jr. Despite no invite, the family does have a purpose there -- they will be special correspondents on "Good Morning Britain" ... presumably dishing family deets for Saturday's big day.

Also not going to the wedding? Meghan's father, Thomas. TMZ broke the story ... Thomas decided not to go because he doesn't want to embarrass the Royal Family or his daughter. The decision comes on the heels of the fallout over him selling photos of himself.

At least one late-night TV talk show host will have insider access at the upcoming Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... and that lucky guy is James Corden.

Sources close tell TMZ ... Corden and his producing partner, Ben Winston, are on the guest list for next Saturday's wedding at St. George's Chapel in England, and BOTH receptions to follow.

This includes the reception immediately after the ceremony at Windsor Castle, and later in the evening at the more exclusive party at Frogmore House ... where Meghan and Harry snapped their engagement pics.

James and Prince Harry have been friends for years, but Corden previously implied he didn't think he'd get an invite to the wedding ... but he just wanted to go to Harry's bachelor party anyway.

Mel B might've played too fast and loose with the truth by implying the Spice Girls were performing at the Royal wedding, 'cause they're not -- at least for now ... TMZ has learned.

Sources tell us that while Scary Spice and co. will, in fact, be attending Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's nuptials later this month ... there are no current plans to have the group perform at any point in the festivities. M&H haven't asked ... neither has Kensington Palace.

What's more ... we're told the Spice Girls haven't rehearsed anything for the wedding either, as of now, and with about a week or so before the Royal couple ties the knot ... it ain't likely they'll get an act together in time for a showstopper. The last time the Spice Girls performed together was in 2012 at the London Olympics ... so they're probably a little rusty.

As we reported ... Mel B led on that the Girls were hitting the stage together for the wedding while chatting with the ladies of "The Real." She didn't come out and say it outright, but she didn't deny it either ... which led everyone, including us, to believe just that.

Unfortunately, we're told she was getting ahead of herself ... 'cause there's simply no truth to that as of right now. Keep in mind ... the wedding is on May 19.

All that said ... it wouldn't be implausible to see the Spice Girls possibly do something to entertain the crowd -- they're all gonna be under one roof for crying out loud, which doesn't happen all that often. Mel, Geri Halliwell and Emma Bunton recently got together ... sans Victoria or Mel C, though.

Hopefully, they can give us a bow ... a note ... ANYTHING to tease this upcoming tour of theirs.

Meghan Markle has the exact same skin color as her fiance, Prince Harry -- at least according to LEGOLAND's special display ahead of the royal wedding.

LEGOLAND's Windsor Resort unveiled a new exhibit this week in honor of Meghan and Harry's big day, which is just over a week away. The problem is LEGO Meghan is pretty whitewashed. We all know the real Prince is very fair-skinned ... so there's no way his bride-to-be's skin tone should match his.

Biracial Meghan -- half black, half white -- obviously has tanner skin than Harry, so LEGOLAND clearly missed the mark. Their explanation? Not enough brown LEGOs. Seriously.

A rep for LEGOLAND tells TMZ ... "Our small LEGOLAND figures are not detailed representations of any of the characters and are all built using a limited range of [primary] brick tones."

That's funny, 'cause their figurines of Mel B and Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland, look a lot more realistic, skin tone-wise than Meghan's character does.

Is it the end of the world? Of course not, but interesting choices made by the LEGO artists. Another way to look at this -- LEGO Harry's way too dark!

Prince Harry is a changed man inside and out thanks to his fiancee, Meghan Markle -- going from full-fledged bachelor life to living on a leash ... lovingly, of course.

We spoke with royal expert Katie Nicholl -- who's familiar with Harry's inner circle -- and she tells us Harry has kicked a lot of his old bad habits since getting with Meghan. We're not just talking food and lifestyle here -- though, that's part of it. It's more big picture.

Nicholl says Harry, for instance, will pass on tequila shots at a wedding now -- and even make excuses to call it an early night. He's also doing yoga with Meghan too, and eats clean with her. In other words ... Meghan's L.A. lifestyle is alive and kicking in London.

As Katie puts it ... Meghan has certainly "tamed" Harry. Nicholl spills even more tea in her new book, "Harry: Life, Loss, and Love."

Andrew Morton, author of the most famous book on Princess Diana, says Meghan Markle holds a very important key for Royal Family's image.

Morton tells us Meghan becoming a Duchess after marrying Prince Harry is a much-needed step forward for the Royals after a checkered past where issues of race are concerned.

He says Meghan won't have to go around "kicking shins" to impart a sense of change at Kensington or Buckingham Palace -- her presence alone will do the trick.

Morton just wrote a new biography, "Meghan: A Hollywood Princess" ... and he'll have much more to say about her in next week's "Spilling Royal Tea" podcast. Meanwhile, check out this week's episode.

Meghan Markle was back in the States this week to take a major step in becoming a permanent UK citizen ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry.

Eyewitnesses tell us Meghan attempted to be as incognito as possible -- with 4 bodyguards in tow -- when she entered the VFS Global UK Visa Application Centre Thursday in Chicago. We're told she was there to finalize her application for a UK visa.

The whole thing only took about 10 minutes, and the entire office was cleared for her. We're told she was friendly with the staff. As for her disguise -- shades and a White Sox cap to blend in with locals.

Meghan forked over about $1,500, maybe a little more, for premium processing -- so she should get her visa within a few days ... according to our sources.

Based on the visa application criteria, she most likely submitted for a family visa, and applied as a partner or spouse. That visa requires her to confirm all previous marriages, and her plans to marry or become a civil partner within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

We can hear her now ... "Maybe you've heard of my fiance."

After 6 months, Meghan can go for permanent citizenship, which Kensington Palace has said she'll do. No fast track, though ... that process can take up to 3 years.

Meghan Markle was destined for London even before she met her fiance Prince Harry -- at least according to her former psychic.

Richard Win, Meghan's longtime psychic, tells us, during his last session with her just months before she met Harry, he forecast Great Britain would loom large in Meghan's life.

Win told her, "I see you in London with a lot of British people" to which Meghan responded, "I love London ... I love British people." We're told Meghan was seeing someone else at the time, and that once she hooked up with Harry ... she emailed Win to tell him she had met someone new .. from England!

Win also says Meghan was highly intelligent and poised, noting she wasn't hungry for fame. He says her engagement to Harry couldn't happen to a nicer person.

The Spice Girls aren't just reuniting, they're becoming a wedding band ... but only for one very special couple.

Mel B went on "The Real" Tuesday and had a very hard time keeping anything secret about the group's involvement with the Royal Wedding -- first disclosing that all 5 girls got the invite from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... then really spilling the beans.

Scary Spice kept getting pressed for more deets by the 'Real' ladies, and eventually seemed to confirm the Spice Girls will provide some wedding entertainment, as well.

We broke the story ... the girls have agreed to reunite for a series of concerts in the UK and U.S. beginning in late summer. We've also been told their contracts are signed ... despite Victoria Beckham saying there is no reunion tour.

Mel, btw, confirmed they've ALL signed back with their producer, Simon Fuller, and concerts dates are in the near future.

Meghan Markle's on her way to joining the Royal Family, but before that, she had her sights set on becoming queen ... of the lollipop biz.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Meghan and a friend filed trademark paperwork back in 2012 for the term "Lali" -- with the apparent intention of selling their own line of lollipops and drops.

It evidently never panned out, because a little more than 2 years later they abandoned their trademark application ... and haven't filed anything since.

Good news for Markle, though -- if she ever wants to revive the "Lali" pops ... Royal protocol won't get in her way.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's official engagement photos are out ... but some folks are looking right through 'em ... asking if Meg's outfit is fit for a princess.

Kensington Palace released the royal couple's professional portraits Thursday, taken by celeb fashion photog Alexi Lubomirski at Frogmore House in Windsor.

Lots of people blanched at Meghan's sheer top ... part of a $75k Ralph & Russo gown, which many called inappropriate for a Royal -- especially when sizing her up to Kate Middleton in her 2010 engagement pics with Prince William, where she was fully covered.

Meghan did end up changing into something more cozy/less revealing in another photo -- but that didn't stop the controversy from bubbling.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle DID not choose their wedding date for any historical significance ... that is unless they're both huge fans of the Kennedys or the Buttafuocos. Ya never know.

We did some research, and the May 19 date of the Royal nuptials has a past that could be labeled rather macabre. It's the date Amy Fisher shot and severely wounded Joey Buttafuoco's wife in 1992.

It's also the day the first person died from the bird flu, along with being the death date of T.E. Lawrence and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. And speaking of her -- May 19, 1962 is the date Marilyn Monroe famously performed a sultry version of "Happy Birthday" for JFK ... with the First Lady in attendance.

May 19 also saw an infamous beheading and the jailing of an Italian movie star. You get the picture.

One positive note: Joey Ramone was born that day.Check out more below!!!