Meghan Markle makes contact with estranged father after his leg amputation
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle has reached out to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, following reports that he underwent an emergency leg amputation earlier this week. Meghan and Thomas have been publicly distant from each other since before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
A spokesperson for Prince Harry's wife confirmed the outreach, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I can confirm she has reached out to her father.” No additional details were shared by the representative.
The news comes after Thomas’ son, Thomas Markle Jr., told the Daily Mail that his father had a leg amputation below the knee on Wednesday in the Philippines, where he relocated earlier this year.
Describing the severity of the situation, Thomas Jr. told the outlet, “One of his doctors said the next two or three days are critical. His left leg has been removed below the knee. They were worried about infection setting in, sepsis or gangrene. The flesh was black and dying. There was no option given. It was either ‘we have to operate now and remove the leg or he may die.’ It was a life-threatening situation.”
According to the report, Thomas is currently in stable condition in intensive care but will require another procedure to address a blood clot in his left thigh. His son also said his father “has a long road ahead,” adding, “this was a major operation but he needed it to save his life. I would ask everyone to keep him in their thoughts. He is a brave and tough man. I would appeal to Meghan to show him compassion at this very difficult time.”
This emergency surgery follows a series of health concerns for Thomas in recent years, including a stroke in 2022.
Meghan and her father’s estrangement dates back to before her royal wedding. PEOPLE magazine reported that the conflict began after Thomas admitted to staging paparazzi photos and, according to Meghan, lied to her about his involvement with the press. Because of this, Thomas did not attend the wedding ceremony.
In Meghan and Prince Harry’s widely watched interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Meghan reflected on the pain of the rift, telling Winfrey, “I grieve a lot. I mean, I’ve lost my father. I lost a baby. I nearly lost my name. I mean, there’s the loss of identity. But I’m still standing, and my hope for people in the takeaway from this is to know that there’s another side.”
The topic surfaced again in the couple’s 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, where Prince Harry expressed his own feelings over the situation. “Of course, it's incredibly sad what happened. She had a father before this and now she doesn't have a father,” he said, adding, “and I shouldered that because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad.”