Meghan Markle, whose estranged dad Thomas Markle senior has undergone surgery in hospital, has faced criticism as she’s reportedly not reached out to her dad
04:00, 05 Dec 2025Updated 09:55, 05 Dec 2025
Meghan Markle has faced criticism(Image: Emma Grede/Youtube)
Meghan Markle is facing pressure to reach out to her estranged dad as he “fights for his life” in hospital.
Thomas Markle, 81, reportedly underwent an intense three-hour operation on Wednesday to have his left foot and lower leg amputated after a blood clot cut off circulation, causing the limb to go black. He was rushed to intensive care in his new home country of the Phillipines after falling ill on Tuesday.
He remains in intensive care but is in a stable condition, according to reports. The former Hollywood lighting engineer is said to be preparing for another procedure to remove a blood clot in his left thigh. Thomas Jr, Mr Markle’s son, claims that doctors are “extremely concerned” over his condition.
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Thomas Markle is in intensive care, his son said(Image: Channel 5)
Thomas was dashed to hospital earlier this week after an emergency at home on the island of Cebu, more than 7,000 miles away from Meghan and Prince Harry in Montecito, California. The duchess has been estranged from her father since just before her wedding day in 2018. Harry has not met his father-in-law, and neither have the couple’s children, Archie and Lilibet.
In 2021, Meghan opened up about the painful break down of their relationship during the Sussexes’ sit-down with Oprah Winfrey. “I grieve a lot,” she admitted, before adding: “I mean, I’ve lost my father.” And now it has been claimed that the duchess has not made contact with Thomas since his latest health scare.
Meghan’s half siblings have since asked her to “reach out”. Thomas Jr said: “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. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts. My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life.” On Thursday, he added: “I would implore Meghan and Harry to reach out to Dad”.
Meghan’s estrangment from her father made the headlines when Thomas found himself at the centre of a media scandal before his daughter’s wedding to Harry. He was caught staging paparazzi snaps of himself preparing for the wedding in exchange for payment, and then announced he would not be attending after the fallout from the scandal left him looking “stupid and hammy”.
The complicated relationship has split opinion, with some commentators suggesting that Meghan should contact her father given his current health problems. Writing for the Daily Mail, columnist Jan Moir brutally slammed Meghan’s alleged ‘hypocrisy’ and argued: “She [Meghan] has shown no compassion over the past few years, not one drop, as her father suffered one health blow after another, from two heart attacks on the eve of her wedding to a massive stroke in 2022 that robbed him of the power of speech.”
Thomas Sr and Meghan’s relationship broke down and the pair became estranged in 2018. The pensioner has been living in a £500-a-month high-rise flat in the island of Cebu since earlier this year.