NEED TO KNOW
- Thomas Markle was reportedly hospitalised on December 2.
- He has been living in the Philippines with his son, Thomas Jr, since January.
- Thomas has been estranged from Meghan Markle since 2018.
Meghan Markle has reportedly been making efforts to contact her father, Thomas, after his leg was amputated.
Thomas Markle, 81, was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday, December 2, after being taken ill at his home on the Filipino island of Cebu, according to his son.
He then underwent an emergency procedure, which saw his leg amputated below the knee, according to the Daily Mail.
Thomas has been estranged from Meghan since 2018, and issued a plea to reconcile with his daughter, telling the publication: “I don’t want to die estranged.”
According to the BBC, 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.”
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 was rushed to the hospital in the Philippines last week, and the news was first revealed publicly by his son, Thomas Jr.
According to Thomas Jr, his father underwent three hours of surgery and was in intensive care before he had another procedure to remove a blood clot.
Thomas’ leg was amputated in the second surgery due to a blood clot in his thigh that had stopped circulation to his foot and lower leg, according to the Daily Mail.
It was described as a “life-or-death” surgery, with a surgeon claiming that it would have been “fatal” if the blood clot had moved to his heart.
“I took dad to a hospital close to our home, and they did various scans and the doctors said his life was in imminent danger,” Thomas Jr told the Daily Mail.
“They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the centre of the city.”
“My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts.”
Thomas’ daughter, Samantha, 61, added, “I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this.”
Thomas 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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