Why Duchess Meghan's mother Doria Ragland sat on her own at the wedding

Observers of the Royal wedding noticed that Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, attended the ceremony alone and that she was seated in the second row.

The straightforward answer is that Doria is a single parent, and Meghan's father, Thomas Markle Sr., didn't attend the ceremony due to a health crisis. The couple divorced in the late eighties.

The newly-styled Duchess of Sussex made the announcement just two days before her wedding. In a statement released by Kensington Palace, she wished her father all the best for his recovery.

'Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health.'

Ms. Meghan Markle, Twitter/Kensington Palace, May 17, 2018.

Markle Sr. explained exclusively to TMZ that he suffered a heart attack a week before Meghan's wedding. Doctors implanted stents in the coronary blood vessels.

The procedure is also known as a percutaneous coronary intervention and involves the temporary insertion of stents to decrease the chances of the vessels clogging again.

It is a standard procedure for relieving the pain of a heart attack and easing blood flow, but it prevented Markle Sr. from giving his daughter away on her wedding day.

As for Doria being seated in the second row, royal expert Alastair Bruce said in an interview with Town & Country that Prince Harry and Meghan were responsible for the seating arrangements.

It was also noted that Queen Elizabeth was seated in the second row as well, on the opposite side of the aisle, with the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh by her side.

Doria was commended on social media for 'sitting there alone representing.' Twitter user Vina St. Fran said it was a 'historical moment' and added: 'This is the reality of many single parents.'