Meghan Markle has reached out to her estranged father, Thomas, after the 81-year-old was hospitalised and admitted into intensive care while staying in the Philippines.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said: "I can confirm she has reached out to her father." HELLO! understands that Meghan reached out to father earlier on Friday, two days after it was repoted that Thomas had been admitted to hospital. The father and daughter have been estranged since 2018, although HELLO! understands that Meghan has attempted to reach out to Thomas in the past.
Earlier in the week, it was confirmed that Thomas had been rushed into emergency surgery and that he required further operations to remove a blood clot. The news was confirmed to the Daily Mail by Thomas's son, Thomas Jr.
He told the publication: "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. 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."
According to a report in The Daily Mail on Friday, Thomas has now had part of his leg amputated. In a three-hour operation, surgeons removed his left leg underneath the knee after a blood clot cut off circulation to the area and it reportedly turned black.
Thomas Jr. told them: "My dad is being very brave. His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly. I took him to a local hospital and they did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated. There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death."
Thomas's condition is now stable, but according to the publication, he faces another operation in order to remove a blood clot in his left thigh.
Estranged relationship
Meghan and Thomas have been estranged since 2018 when he staged paparazzi photos before her wedding to Prince Harry, later claiming that he wanted to improve his public image. Thomas was absent from her wedding to Prince Harry because he suffered two heart attacks ahead of the big day.
Meghan released a statement at the time which read: "Sadly, my father will not be attending our wedding. I have always cared for my father and hope he can be given the space he needs to focus on his health. I would like to thank everyone who has offered generous messages of support. Please know how much Harry and I look forward to sharing our special day with you on Saturday."
During an appearance on Good Morning Britain on 18 June 2018, Thomas shared: "I absolutely wanted to walk my daughter down the aisle. I'm recovering from a heart operation but I'm doing much better. They were disappointed. Meghan cried, I'm sure, and they both said, 'Take care of yourself, we are really worried about you'."
Addressing their strained relationship, Prince Harry mused on their Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan: "She had a father before this. Now she doesn't have a father. I shouldered that. Because if Meg wasn't with me, then her dad would still be her dad."
Back in 2022, Meghan seemingly hinted that her relationship with her father was over. Speaking the The Cut, a supplement of the New York Times, about her husband's relationship with his own father, King Charles, she said: "It doesn't have to be the same for them as it was for me."