Britain counts down to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding extravaganza

WINDSOR, England (Reuters) - Britain made its final finishing touches to the plans for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal wedding extravaganza on Friday, with the U.S. actress asking Prince Charles, heir to the throne, to walk her down the aisle in place of her ill father.

Her father, Thomas, pulled out days before the event, telling celebrity website TMZ he was recovering from heart surgery, in a family drama that played out under the glare of media attention.

“The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms Markle to The Royal Family in this way,” Harry’s office Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Royal fans on the streets of Windsor, where the thousands of well-wishers mingled with journalists and armed police under swathes of British and American flags, expressed sympathy for Markle.

“I feel sorry that her dad is not there because you should have your dad shouldn’t you really,” said Moira Moss, a fan camping outside Windsor Castle. “Every daughter should have their dad but obviously he’s not very well. I do feel sorry for her. It must be heartbreaking for her.”

Markle’s African-American mother, Doria Ragland, was due to meet Britain’s Queen Elizabeth, Harry’s 92-year-old grandmother, for tea on Friday. Harry and his fiancee arrived at Windsor Castle on Friday afternoon.

Ragland, a yoga instructor, charmed Charles, her daughter’s future father-in-law, when they met on Wednesday, a source close to the royal family said.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Elizabeth’s husband, Prince Philip, 96, would be at the wedding despite undergoing hip replacement surgery last month.

Harry, 33, will marry Markle, 36, a star of the TV drama “Suits”, in Windsor Castle’s 15th-century St George’s Chapel at a ceremony that begins at 1100 GMT. The details of her dress, the ring and the order of service are still to be announced.

A former army officer and one-time royal wild child, Harry met his bride-to-be on a blind date in July 2016 after being set up through a mutual friend. Markle said she knew little about her royal date while Harry said he had never heard of Markle or watched her TV series.

However, it was love at first sight, and after just two dates, he whisked her off to Botswana for a holiday, camping under the stars.

After the schism of Brexit divided the United Kingdom and triggered a wave of doubt about its future place in the world, the glittering union of one of the most popular royals and an elegant U.S. divorcee may offer some distraction.

The British remain broadly supportive of the monarchy albeit with a sense of mild irony about the pomp and pageantry that accompanies it, though many have deep respect for the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth, after 66 years of dutiful service.

For some black Britons, the prospect of a mixed-race royal princess has increased interest in the monarchy, which has so far been all white. A black American bishop will give the address at the wedding.

“Meghan will bring a new perspective to the royal family,” royal biographer Claudia Joseph said. “Obviously she comes from a very different background and ... that’s hugely important to take the royal family into the future.”

This wedding has drawn comparisons with some remarkable episodes of recent royal history: Edward VIII’s relationship with American divorcee Wallis Simpson, which led him to abdicate in 1936, and the queen’s late sister Margaret’s decision to call off her marriage to an equerry, Peter Townsend.

But for some other Britons, the event has as much relevance as the union of two distant superstars. Many will not even watch the wedding despite massive media interest.

Markle said she was sad her father could not make it but expressed hope he would be given the time to deal with his health problems.

The palace implied that Markle would still enter the chapel alone with her bridesmaids and page boys, before joining Charles at the Quire - also sometimes called the choir - the area providing seating for the clergy and choristers.

After the hour-long ceremony, the couple will take part in a procession through the town’s ancient streets on a 19th century Ascot Landau carriage pulled by four Windsor Grey horses.

Markle’s wedding cake - a lemon and elderflower creation with buttercream icing and topped with fresh flowers - has taken six bakers five days to prepare, according to its designer Claire Ptak.

Police are expecting more than 100,000 people to throng the streets outside the castle - the queen’s home west of London and the oldest and largest inhabited fortress in the world - and have said there would be tight security for the event.

Harry, the younger son of the late Princess Diana, has always been a popular member of the royal family.

He left a lasting memory in the minds of many when aged just 12, he walked behind his mother’s coffin as her funeral cortege made its way through London after her death in a car crash in 1997.

He has spoken publicly about the pain of the loss of his mother, supported campaigns for wounded veterans and has embraced campaigns for awareness about mental health.

“I remember Princess Diana dying,” said Nick Lemin, 45 who grew up in Windsor but now lives in Brisbane, Australia. “I think she’d be very, very proud of Prince Harry and the family and how they are living their lives.”