One Vocal Soap Star’s Defense Of The Royal Bride’s Father

Despite a beautiful, elegant, and also Americanized ceremony that united the world, there was still controversy surrounding the British royal wedding, and yes, it has a soap connection.

Prince Harry and his bride Meghan Markle took their vows Saturday, but her father couldn’t be there due to a heart condition.

The media has speculated there were other reasons her father was not there, and the always-vocal General Hospital star Nancy Lee Grahn has come out in Thomas Markle’s defense after knowing him for years as the show’s lighting director.

“I’ll be watching the royal wedding along with much of the world tomorrow,” Grahn posted on Facebook. “While I never had the fortune of meeting Harry, I have spent a moment or two with Meghan. Her dad, Tommy Markle, was our beloved General Hospital lighting director for years. Tommy brought Meghan to work when she was little, and she had a short stint as a nurse [named Jill] on GH when she was older.”

“Meghan is a lovely woman,” Grahn continued. “It is, I believe, a positive thing to watch her love story play out publicly.The world can only benefit right now from a collective sharing of sweetness and joy.

“What sadly, was not positive was the public intrusion into her father’s life. It was unwarranted, unkind and unnecessary. There are a number of people at [GH]  that can attest to the character of Tommy Markle.

“We affectionately referred to him as our big teddy bear. He is by all accounts, a fine and decent man, as well as a loving father. Tommy did not deserve to have a bottom feeding, scandal seeking ‘press’ hunt him down and invade his privacy, causing him undo pressure and stress.

“I think it’s worth noting that it was the same breed of blood thirsty, rating seeking ‘press’ that chased Harry’s mother into a tunnel, that may well have contributed to Meghan’s father missing the most important moment of her life.

“Having said that, I, like most of you, am looking forward to the happy affair tomorrow, and I will be cheering along. But most of all, I will be saluting the father of the bride. Congrats Tommy. Well done, sir.”

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check local listings for airtimes.