IT was the scandal that overshadowed the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

The Duchess’s father, Thomas Markle, agreed to stage photos for a paparazzi photographer, taking a cut of the earnings, just days before the ceremony in 2018.

He did not attend the wedding as planned after the set-up was revealed, with claims that ill-health prevented him from travelling to the UK.

Now, a new book about the couple claims the Duchess felt sorry for her estranged father, wanted him at her wedding and blamed the media for “corrupting” him.

The latest revelations from the Finding Freedom book allege she felt let down when Mr Markle lied to her about helping the paparazzi.

However, it is claimed the Sussexes were also angry at the media for wearing him down for several months until he complied with their requests.

Authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote that, according to an unnamed “trusted confidant” of the Duchess, Meghan had said: “My dad never sought this out. I really believe that he’s the victim, and now I feel sad because I believe he’s been fully corrupted.”

The book claims that, after a newspaper revealed the location of his home in 2017, Mr Markle rejected constant media requests with a line prepared for him by royal officials which stated: “I can’t speak out of respect for my family.”

The Duchess and Prince Harry Harry told him to do his best to ignore the press, but ultimately – with encouragement from the Duchess’s elder half-sister Samantha – Mr Markle accepted a proposal from photographer Jeff Rayner, according to the book.

Mr Markle agreed to participate in several set-up photographs, including one of him reading a book on British history while at a cafe. The pictures were published around the world, with Mr Rayner earning $130,000 (£101,000), and Mr Markle and daughter Samantha sharing 30 per cent of the proceeds, it has been claimed.

A week before the royal wedding, Kensington Palace officials heard a Sunday newspaper was planning to expose the photo-shoot as having been staged.

The book states palace communications staff and lawyers were moving to have publication stopped, as the Duchess phoned her father. “Dad, we need to know if this is true or not, because my team is going to try and stop this story from running – if you are telling me it’s fake,” she reportedly told him.

“If they do that, they’re going out of their way to protect you, dad. “You’re telling me you’re being victimised, right?”

Mr Markle had replied “Of course”, failing to admit he had participated in the staging of the photos, which were duly exposed as set-ups in the press the next day.

Despite his deception, the Duchess had still wanted her father at her wedding. He ultimately did not attend, partly due to suffering a heart attack days before the event, which he blamed on the stresses of pressure from the media.

“As much as she was hurt and humiliated, she wanted him to be there and was willing to move on,” an unidentified friend is quoted as saying.

“Plus, she was worried about him; she honestly wasn’t sure if he was actually okay. His behaviour was bizarre.”

The book gives further glimpses of the Duchess’s troubled relationship with Mr Markle, including a string of unreturned phone messages and texts from the former actress to her father in the days before her wedding.

The book, which is being serialised in The Times, also includes a number of claims about the couple’s relationship with other royals and the aides who worked for them.

The book claims Prince Harry perceived his brother, William, as “snobby” when he warned him not to rush with “this girl” and accused him of being “blinded by lust”.

There are also accusations that the Duchess of Cambridge was not welcoming toward Meghan and “snubbed” her at a royal event.

Palace insiders are also said to have described Meghan as “Harry’s showgirl”, and made comments about her coming with a “lot of baggage”. However, friends of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are said to have issued a fierce defence, telling the Mail on Sunday the couple had “rolled out the red carpet” for Meghan and “done all they could” to welcome the actress into the Royal Family.

According to reports, the Cambridges invited them to Anmer Hall, their family home in Norfolk, where Kate personally cooked for Meghan, organised a party for their friends and the wedding party before the 2018 wedding, and invited Meghan to the Royal Box at Wimbledon.

A spokesman for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex said the couple did not contribute to Finding Freedom.

The spokesman said: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were not interviewed and did not contribute to Finding Freedom. This book is based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting.”