Meghan Markle has reached out to her father, Thomas Markle, following reports that he underwent surgery to amputate his left leg and is currently in intensive care.
“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE.
The update comes after Thomas’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., told the Daily Mail that the 81-year-old had his leg removed below the knee on Dec. 3 in the Philippines, where the two have been living since earlier this year. He described the emergency procedure as “life or death,” saying his father’s foot had turned “blue then black” before doctors determined amputation was necessary.
While Meghan’s spokesperson did not provide further details, a source notes that the outreach from Meghan is very recent, following the reports of her father’s medical emergency.
PEOPLE has reached out to Thomas Markle Jr. for comment.
Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail that his father remains in an intensive care ward and that “the next two or three days are critical” as doctors monitor for possible infection.
Thomas’s health crisis follows several years of reported medical challenges, including a stroke in 2022. Meghan, 44, has been estranged from her father since shortly before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The rift began after Thomas admitted to staging paparazzi photos and, according to Meghan, was not truthful with her about his communications with the press.
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she felt the relationship had been irrevocably damaged. “I’ve lost my father,” she said at the time. In the couple’s Netflix docuseries the following year, Harry reflected on the fallout as well, saying, “She had a father before this and now she doesn’t have a father.”
The news also arrives the same week Meghan’s latest Netflix special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, debuted, spotlighting her family’s celebrations and traditions in Montecito with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
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