Thomas Markle previously said he was ‘confused’ by widespread reports that his daughter had ‘reached out’ to contact him following his serious health scare, which resulted in leg amputation
09:42, 09 Dec 2025Updated 09:48, 09 Dec 2025
Meghan Markle with her estranged father Thomas(Image: Netflix)
Meghan Markle is trying to get a note to her estranged father after finding out where he is recovering after he allegedly had his leg amputated. The Duchess of Sussex been estranged from her father since 2018 after he was caught staging paparazzi photographs ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry. As a result, Thomas Markle has never seen his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, nor has he even met his royal son-in-law.
But Meghan looks set to extend an olive branch to the 81-year-old following his ’emergency leg amputation’. A source has said that it is her intention to have a handwritten note delivered to him in his hospital in Cebu, where he is expected to spend the next week.
An insider close to the duchess told The Times: “There’s been progress, but she hasn’t made contact [yet] … It’s hoped and expected that there will be some form of communication in the next 24 hours.” Thomas relocated to the Philippines from Mexico in January. He has now been moved from intensive care to a regular hospital ward after his surgeon labelled the operation, conducted on Wednesday, “a success”.
READ MORE: The timeline of Meghan Markle’s complicated relationship with her estranged fatherREAD MORE: Meghan Markle ‘insists’ she reached out to ill dad despite his ‘confused’ claims
Meghan Markle’s dad allegedly underwent life-saving surgery last week
There have been questions over previous claims that Meghan had reached out to her father. A Sussex spokesperson said she the Duchess had emailed Thomas late Friday morning after learning he had undergone the procedure. However, Thomas told The Mail on Sunday he was “confused” by the statement because he had not heard from Meghan. In an interview with the publication, he claimed his daughter had not called him or the hospital in the Philippines, begging her to see him “one more time before I die”.
Meghan is understood to have lost her father’s number and so emailed him instead on Friday – but used address said to have been out of use for some time. A source said that, after emailing him with no luck, she had personally called hospitals in the Philippines in a bid to establish the logo seen in photographs on her father’s hospital gown.
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Thomas has never met his son-in-law Harry
Thomas is expected to remain in the teaching hospital in Ceba for about a week before moving to a rehabilitation centre. He reportedly underwent emergency surgery followed by a second operation to remove a blood clot, which was said to have resulted in his leg being amputated below the knee. Dr Neil Sanico, his surgeon, said, apparently with his patient’s permission: “The surgery was a success and the wound is healing well.”
Thomas and Meghan have not been in touch since 2018, following the fallout over staged paparazzi photographs ahead of the Sussexes’uk n wedding. He suffered two heart attacks on the eve of her wedding to Harry in 2018, which prevented him from flying to the UK. In his absence, the King, then Prince of Wales, gave Meghan away.
READ MORE: ‘Archie and Lilibet will soon ask Harry a heartbreaking question – and he won’t have an answer’
Speaking of his estrangement from Meghan, Thomas told The Mail on Sunday, “Of course I want to speak to her. But I am not sure if these are the right circumstances. I’ve always said I am open to reconciling with my daughter. I have never stopped loving her.”
He continued: “I don’t want to die estranged from Meghan. I want to meet my grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband, too.” Thomas also confirmed he hasn’t changed his phone number in the time he’s been estranged from his daughter, explaining that he has “always wanted Meg to be able to call me”.