The Duchess of Sussex’s father has had his leg amputated after suffering from a blood clot, his son has revealed.
Thomas Markle, 81, who has been estranged from Meghan since her wedding to Prince Harry, had his left leg removed below the knee on Wednesday after the clot cut off circulation.
His son, Thomas Jr, told the Daily Mail: “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.”
Markle in Rosarito, Mexico, before he moved to the Philippines
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An ambulance took Markle to a larger hospital in Cebu in the Philippines, where he moved to earlier this year, and he was immediately taken into surgery. Markle remains in intensive care in a stable condition. He is set to have another procedure to remove a blood clot in his left thigh.
Thomas Jr said: “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.”
Markle suffered a stroke in 2022 in which he lost his ability to speak. He has since partially regained it after speech therapy.
He moved to the Philippines in January after being “constantly reminded of my estrangement from my daughter while I was in the US and Mexico”. He previously said: “I could not escape her and Harry who were always on TV with their shows, books and interviews. So I moved to the other side of the world hoping for a quieter life.”
EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP
Markle has also expressed a wish to meet his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, before he dies.
This week Meghan released a Christmas special of With Love, Meghan on Netflix followed by a range of As Ever festive chocolate bars. Each 80g costs £8.99.
Prince Harry took aim at President Trump during an appearance on late-night TV, quipping that America had “elected a king”.