NEED TO KNOW
- Thomas Markle had his left leg amputated in December after a blood clot cut off blood supply to his foot.
- He has returned to the US from the Philippines to be fitted with a state-of-the-art prosthetic limb.
- He had been living in the Philippines with his son, Thomas Jr, since January.
- Thomas has been estranged from his daughter Meghan Markle since 2018.
Thomas Markle has returned to the United States after his left leg was amputated in a life-saving operation in December.
However, his estrangement from his California-based daughter, Meghan Markle, remains as painful as ever.
The 81-year-old father of Meghan Markle had been living on the island of Cebu in the Philippines, and has moved to an undisclosed location in the US to be fitted with a state-of-the-art prosthetic limb and receive ongoing rehabilitation care.
His elder daughter, Samantha, Meghan’s half-sister, confirmed the move, telling the Mirror: “Dad made the decision to come back to the US for ongoing medical care.
“He will be able to get the best prosthetics here and be surrounded by friends and family to support him. Even though he has been through such traumatic times, this has been a positive spiritual experience for dad.”
Before leaving the Philippines, Thomas paid tribute to those who cared for him.
“I would not be alive today were it not for the care I received from the wonderful doctors and nurses in the Philippines. They saved my life,” he said.
He also spoke warmly of Filipino nurse Rio Canedo, 46, who he credits with helping him lose weight and find the will to walk again — and with whom he has found a new romantic connection during his recovery.
In December, Thomas nearly died when a blood clot in his left thigh cut off the blood supply to his foot, requiring a three-hour emergency operation to save his life. He has been in rehabilitation in the Philippines ever since.
It was reported at the time that Meghan Markle had been making efforts to contact her father after his leg was amputated.
Thomas has been estranged from Meghan since 2018 and issued a plea to reconcile with his daughter, telling Daily Mail: “I don’t want to die estranged.”
According to the BBC at the time, Meghan’s spokesperson confirmed that Meghan has contacted her father and that her letter is “safely in [Thomas’] hands”, after Thomas had previously denied hearing from her.
“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” her spokesperson stated.
“Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father’s bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days,” they added in an additional statement on Wednesday, December 10.
“With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”
While Meghan’s representatives confirmed she “reached out” to her father after the surgery, her half-brother Thomas Jnr, 59, told The Mirror in February that she has still not contributed financially to his care.
“He’s going through therapy, physical rehab. We’re going to have to get him fitted for a prosthetic here pretty soon and get that man walking again. That’s the goal.”
Meghan and Thomas’ relationship broke down in 2018 due to staged paparazzi photos in the lead-up to her wedding, and he is not believed to have met Harry and Meghan’s children, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
Thomas’ health has not been great in recent years and he suffered two heart attacks on the eve of Meghan’s 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which prevented him from flying from LA to London for the service.
Meghan’s mother, Doria, attended the wedding, and King Charles stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.
Thomas also reportedly suffered a stroke in 2022, which heavily affected his speech.
Thomas and his son, Thomas Jr, relocated to the Philippines in January of this year, partly to escape the reminders about his fractured relationship with Meghan.
Why does Meghan Markle not speak to her father?
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan explained how her relationship with her father broke down after he staged paparazzi photos in the lead-up to her wedding.
She claimed that Thomas had initially denied working with the press, but wasn’t able to give her a clear answer regarding the photographs.
“I said, I just need you to tell me, and if you tell me the truth, we can help. And [Thomas] wasn’t able to do that,” Meghan said.
“I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child […] So it’s hard for me to reconcile that.”
Thomas later claimed that he had tried to reach out to apologise to Meghan and Harry repeatedly afterwards, saying the estrangement “broke” his heart.
Meghan’s mother, Doria, and Thomas split up when Meghan was three years old, but remained amicable while raising their daughter.
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