this is "nightline." >> tonight, less than a week away from her wedding to prince harry meghan markle's father caught in a scandal, staging photos of himself for the paparazzi, now reportedly pulling out of the wedding. and meghan's half-sister taking the blame. >> i am entirely the culprit. >> why did they do this? plus, island erupted. new volcanic blasts ripping through hawaii's big island. "nightline" high above the lava zone. >> i feel a lava explosion down there. >> and on the ground where rivers of lava are threatening homes. and -- ♪ pretty, pretty please perfectly pink. a young fan pleading with pink in a live video. >> when you come here, i really want to sing at your concert. and i promise i'll be ready.

>> watch what happens when she gets her shot. >> are you ready? >> but first, the "nightline" 5.

that violent crime went up 18% in san francisco. in la, mayor antonio villaraigosa put more police on the streets and cut violent crime in half. california's police chiefs trust antonio for governor. good evening. thank you for joining us. it should be a joyous and exciting time for meghan markle. less than a week away from her wedding to prince harry and on

the verge of becoming royalty. but instead there's a cloud of scandal hanging over her family. and now her father reportedly won't be at the ceremony to give her away. abc's adrian bankert is in london with the latest. >> reporter: just days before meghan markle says i do, prince harry and his bride-to-be distraught after tmz reports that meghan's father will no longer be attending the royal wedding. >> i'm told she's devastated tonight, as you would expect her to be. and prince harry obviously very sad too. regardless of whether you're a future duchess, when you announce you want your father to be with you on your wedding day, and at the moment it looks as if that may not happen. >> reporter: 73-year-old thomas markle sr. reportedly tells tmz he suffered from a heart attack just six days ago and tonight tmz reports he's suffering from new chest pain and will head back to the hospital. >> meghan and harry have in the

last few days been increasingly very concerned about his health. meghan would love for her dad to be here, to walk her up the aisle, but above all she is worried about him and his health. >> but with all eyes on meghan and her family the couple is concerned about the pressure being too much. allegedly, markle says he doesn't want tome barros h emba daughter any further after claims he staged these paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the royal wedding, lifting weights, reading a book about britain, trying on a suit. but according to the "mail" on sunday that tailor is actually a party store assistant. the photos reportedly netting nearly $140,000 for the photographer. >> samantha markle, she joins us live from florida. >> reporter: in an interview with itv's "loose women," her half-sister samantha markle is taking the blame for the debacle, saying she was just trying to help their father's image. >> i am entirely the culprit. there's a lot of scrutiny that

it was money motivated. it was not. it was my suggestion that to benefit him and to benefit the royal family. >> reporter: the palace did not comment on the tmz report that markle's father won't attend the wedding but issued a statement asking that understanding and respect be extended to mr. markle in this difficult situation. like prince harry, her parents divorced when she was young. >> congratulations. >> reporter: markle winning the heart of one of the most eligible bachelors in the world seems like a scene from a hollywood movie. the california girl and her british prince falling in love despite growing up worlds apart. >> well, meghan is the world's most famous valley girl. i mean, she was brought up in a place called woodland hills. it's known as the valley. >> reporter: meghan and her mother, doria ragland, later lived here above this garage. she attended an all-girls private school, immaculate heart. >> she wanted to be the best that she could be on stage or wherever that career led her. >> meghan grew up in a very comfortable family background.

her mother, doria, was always about making sure that she knew she was lucky. >> reporter: she went on to study at northwestern university, majoring in international studies and theater. while in college she landed her first role as a nurse on "general hospital." >> this is where she started. her scenes were basically she was here behind the desk talking to a doctor giving him a message. >> just one second. >> reporter: it was meghan's father, a lighting director in the show, who had introduced her to casting director mark teshner. >> you want anybody to find true love and it just feels very genuine. >> reporter: meghan would go on to get small parts in shows and movies, appearing in "csi." >> you might need an extra set of hands. >> and "horrible bosses." >> can i help you? >> i'm good. he's just signing for these packages. thank you. >> reporter: but her big break came at 30 years old after she landed a starring role on the hit legal drama "suits." >> wow. you're pretty. >> good. you've hit on me. we can get it out of the way that i'm not interested. >> no, i'm sorry, i wasn't

hitting on you. >> she lived on a diet of one line here, two lines there, a pilot that went belly up over there. and the fact she got into "suits" totally transformed her life and gave her the platform which she built on ever since. >> meghan is groundbreaking. she's a self-made woman. she's also a self-made person. we've not really seen that in the royal family before. >> reporter: the series, shot in toronto, canada, became meghan's second home. she was often spotted at the city's bohemian shopping area, kensington market, and at many of the city's restaurants like bar isabel. >> meghan's a big foodie, and i've actually learned a lot about food through her. >> reporter: daniel martin is a makeup artist and a good friend of markle's. they met shortly after she began filming "suits." >> what's so special about meghan is that you always feel like you're the only one in the room with her. she really listens. she's very open. she's funny. she's a great cook.

i think harry is really fortunate to have her as his new wife. >> reporter: and he will be at windsor castle for her big day. >> i was really flattered to know that i was going to be a guest at the wedding. and to be able to share this incredible moment with her. >> reporter: for those who witnessed her giving, they say markle's compassion is evident. meghan markle herself was actually in this kitchen working. >> this very same kitchen. >> reporter: a committed humanitarian while in toronto, markle volunteered here at st. felix center feeding the hungry. >> she was referred to us through a friend of hers that had been volunteering with us, and then she came down to help redistribute some of the leftover food from the set. she was here in toronto working on "suits." we're very excited to see with this extended platform what other good works that she's going to do. >> she's always made time for philanthropic endeavors. it could be one day helping at a charity event, and it could be an entire trip that she's told nobody about to go help people

in india. >> reporter: "true blood" actress javina navanka says says and meghan have been friends for 15 years. she'll be the the wedding as well. >> she knows exactly what she wants to put into this world and who she wants to be, and she would be doing all of this whether anybody was watching or not. >> reporter: prince harry and meghan were set up on a blind date in 2016. her first marriage ended in divorce three years earlier. >> we went and met for a drink and then i think very quickly into that we said, what are we doing tomorrow? we should meet again. >> reporter: the relationship quickly became serious. >> i managed to persuade her to come and join me in botswana, and we camped out with each other under the stars. >> you know, they were staying in a tent with nothing. and just had each other. >> reporter: with an almost instant connection the trans-atlantic couple cleared their schedules to spend as much time together as possible. >> and at that time she was telling her agent don't book me

any more gigs because i won't be able to do them. so even after four months of that relationship meghan was looking to the future. >> reporter: that future begins saturday. the kitchens at windsor palace already testing the top secret menu. the royal couple tasting everything. on top of every detail from the seasonal vegetables to the milk chocolate truffles. despite having given up her acting career and shutting down her social media presence, all a part of becoming a princess, those who know her say it appears she's right in her element with royal duties that will include the kind of humanitarian work she's enjoyed for years. >> i have never seen her laugh more. she sent me this video of the two of them doing something, i don't even know, rolling down a snow-covered mountain. they're so happy. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm adrienne bankert in london. next, flying high above the

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just naked chicken chalupa it's back with a vengeance. along with a spicy new wilder version. so when it comes to taco bell's mild or wild naked chicken chalupas, heed my advice, and say no to spice. brought to you by the council and not taco bell. hawaii's big island is under threat tonight from continuous volcanic eruptions. and there's a growing fear that a massive explosion could be on the way. tonight abc's matt gutman is on the scene with residents who fear they could lose everything if this doesn't end soon. >> reporter: high above hawaii's big island -- >> over there the ridge line you can see the steam and smoke

rising. >> reporter: mother nature scarring this tropical paradise. there are now 19 volcanic fissures. this one at least several football fields in length. ripping through the earth, keeping residents here on edge. >> i heard what sounded like a jet turbine. >> reporter: at least four cracks opening up since saturday. those eruptions echoing across the lush greenery of this island. >> i've actually seen rocks fly over the tree line. >> reporter: for the last week and a half a series of explosions have spewed gases and hurled lava hundreds of feet into the air. above that lava zone steam was rising 2,000 feet, according to our pilot. >> i see a lava explosion down there. you can see that pop of red. we are watching active lava eruptions right now from the sky here. pretty impressive. you look at -- in hawaii the big island and everything you see is the result of a volcanic eruption. so this is incredibly normal

here. but it has an impact on so many people who live in this part of the island. >> reporter: on friday the president issuing a disaster declaration, ensuring resources for the ongoing emergency response. in neighborhoods steam seen rising from cracks in the black top just steps away from nearby homes. and lava creeping just a mile away from this geothermal plant. the flammable chemicals stored there removed but still some residents are worried. >> i didn't want to be here in case 60,000 gallons of some unknown fracking type material decides to ignite and go up. >> reporter: so far nearly 2,000 people have been evacuated from neighborhoods throughout the island. at least 36 structures have been destroyed. >> it's not like it's a hurricane where you think, okay, in three days it will be here and go, or a forest fire. this is almost like a slow motion trainwreck. >> this beautiful vegetation we

planted over the years and it's just like our little tropical oasis here. >> reporter: four days ago abc's marci gonzalez met retired electrical engineer herschel hood. he and his wife had made the difficult decision to flee. >> this is my life savings. this is my lifeblood. this was everything i ever wanted. and if it's taken away, i can't see starting over. >> reporter: today we drove together back into the hazard zone with herschel to see what remains. >> when's the last time you saw him? >> friday of last week, four days ago. >> reporter: but also to ferry supplies to neighbors. >> got the gate open? all right. >> reporter: like alan, who defied evacuation orders and stayed behind. >> nice to meet you. >> i thought my house was going to fall apart. >> literally shaking your house. >> oh, yeah. every five seconds. boom, boom. >> when did you get some sleep? >> i haven't slept for days. >> reporter: and herschel's home? >> okay. >> reporter: spared. >> still here. >> reporter: for now. and just a few hundred yards from there, down a grassy patch,

that fissure roaring and belching molten rock. and those explosions of gas and rock sending those boulders hundreds of feet in the air, but you can also see the shockwaves and the heat just radiating off the plain right there. >> reporter: that show of force the latest since kilauea, one of six active volcanoes in the state, erupted less than two weeks ago. the lava reaching temperatures of nearly 2,000 degrees fahrenheit, so hot it could melt gold. take a look at this time lapse video of a mustang bursting into flames as it's consumed. and tonight, growing concern about a potential massive steam explosion at the summit of kilauea. the lava lake there dropping more than 1,000 feet out of sight. scientists worry that if it drops below the water table and rock falls create a blockage steam bottled up by water and lava could build up enough pressure to send car-size

boulders flying into the air. outside the park residents being warned the explosions could send ash raining down for miles. >> this is not life-threatening, a light ash fall, but it is something people need to be mindful of. >> reporter: some residents concerned about air quality from that and the sulfur dioxide still spewing from those fissures, causing lines at stores with people desperate to buy respirators. >> we can't wait until the ash and the sulfur is down on us. we need it now. >> reporter: others in the evacuation zone having to pick up their lives and leave their homes behind. it's literal end of the road for so many here in lanipunai estates. the road is cracked and you can see toward the end it is completely severed. this is one way out of this community that essentially doesn't exist anymore. there is one other way out, and that's where the roadblock is. this lava flow at the leilani

estates force the evacuation of the entire neighborhood. swallowing up a half mile of homes, cars, and power lines, burying them under 15 feet of molten rock. the kilauea volcano, which created the big island of hawaii, has been erupting continuously since 1983. the people here have lived their lives on the literal edge of fire. kilauea's one of the world's most active volcanoes. the glow of the magma in the craters drawing 2 million tourists last year alone to hawaii volcanoes national park. >> the lava lake would create a really magnificent glow in the evening. because this is seriously the legendary home of pelehonuamea, the volcano goddess, there's such a sacredness to this area that people i think really walk away with that. >> reporter: but that lava flow has been devastating in the past. in 1990 lava flow from kilauea destroyed most of the town of

kalapana. residents could only watch while the lava overtook their homes. >> it's really hard because just like losing one of your family. >> reporter: and just four years ago a river of fire cut through miles of the big island, causing residents then to evacuate, creating that same sense of fear and uncertainty. >> we don't know what we're going to do. i mean, it's really scary. >> reporter: today with those eruptions only forecast to intensify for hawaiians knowing what comes next doesn't make it any easier. for "nightline" i'm matt gutman in pahoa, hawaii. and next, one perfect chance for a pink superfan to sing for her hero. so how'd she do? ♪ ♪ pretty, pretty please ♪ you're perfect

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and finally tonight, a young fearless girl's dream comes true. ♪ victoria anthony is a pink superfan. and when the 12-year-old heard her hero was coming to town she made this video. >> when you come here, i really want to sing at your concert. and i promise, i'll be ready. >> that request went viral, and apparently tickled pink. >> are you the one i read about on the news? >> reporter: and victoria got her shot. ♪ the crowd goes wild and then joins in. ♪ because you're perfect her stadium debut nothing less than perfect. ♪ if you ever, ever feel good for her. it was walt disney who said, "all our dreams can come true if

we have the courage to pursue them." thank you for watching "nightline." and as always, we're online on our "nightline" facebook page. thanks for the company, america. good night.