Royals Meghan Markle Won't Be the First Bride Prince Charles Has Walked Down the Aisle He previously did the honor for the daughter of one of his close friends By Diana Pearl Published on May 18, 2018 10:13 AM Share Tweet Pin Email When Prince Charles walks Meghan Markle down the aisle of St. George’s Chapel on Saturday, he might have a case of déjà vu — he’s done this before. With Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle, unable to attend the wedding, Meghan has asked her future father-in-law, Charles, to take his place and walk her down the aisle. And even though Charles doesn’t have any daughters of his own, it won’t be the first time he’s walked a bride down the aisle on her wedding day: He previously walked a close family friend, Alexandra Knatchbull, down the aisle at her wedding to Thomas Hooper in 2016. It’s the event of the year! Be sure to keep up with all of PEOPLE’s royal wedding coverage and don’t forget to check out everything you need to know about Meghan Markle’s perfect style. Knatchbull is goddaughter of the late Princess Diana and the daughter of Norton Knatchbull, the Earl Mountbatten of Burma (then Lord Brabourne), one of Charles’ close friends. Family drama around the time of her wedding led to Charles to do the honors of giving the bride away. According to the Daily Mail, Norman had left his wife of 31 years, Alexandra’s mother, for another woman, and moved to the Bahamas. Though he returned home to the U.K. in 2014, tensions still ran high between father and daughter, and Alexandra asked Charles to accompany her down the aisle instead. David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! Charles has a special family connection to the bride and her family. Alexandra is the great-grandaughter of Lord Louis Mountbatten, Prince Philip‘s uncle and Charles’s great-uncle, whom he viewed as a father figure. Lord Mountbatten was killed in 1979 after an attack by the Irish Republican Army (IRA). RELATED VIDEO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Just Announced All 10 Members of Their Adorable Bridal Party! Meghan asked Charles to walk her down the aisle after she announced on Thursday that her father would not be able to attend her wedding as originally planned. David Hartley/REX/Shutterstock Don’t miss out! Tune in to Meghan and Harry – a Fairy-Tale Wedding on Saturday, May 19, starting at 6 a.m. ET/ 3 a.m. PT on PeopleTV — now available on PeopleTV.com and on your favorite streaming device. “Ms. Meghan Markle has asked His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales to accompany her down the aisle of the Quire of St George’s Chapel on her Wedding Day,” Kensington Palace announced in a statement. “The Prince of Wales is pleased to be able to welcome Ms. Markle to The Royal Family in this way.”