- A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex has confirmed that she has ‘reached out to her father’ after reports of his ill health.
- Thomas Markle is reported to have had his leg amputated in the Philippines due to a blood clot earlier this week.
- Meghan Markle and her father are believed to have been estranged since 2018.
The Duchess of Sussex is known to have a strained relationship with her father due to his continued involvement with the tabloids.
Thomas Markle famously collaborated with paparazzi to stage photographs in the run up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2018 wedding. And months later, he published a personal letter that his daughter wrote him about the situation, in The Mail on Sunday.
It has been reported that the father and daughter have since become estranged, with Markle having never met his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
This week however, a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex confirmed that she had contacted her father, after reports that he had been hospitalised in the Philippines.
Markle, 81, was reportedly rushed to hospital for an emergency leg amputation, according to the Daily Mail, with his son Tom Markle Jr. reporting to the publication that he is not out of the woods.
“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” a spokesperson for Meghan Markle told Newsweek, although it is not known whether the Duchess’ attempts at contact have been successful.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Markle has spoken about her complicated relationship with her father in the past, opening up to Oprah about the continued lies around his involvement with the paparazzi.
“I said, ‘I just need you to tell me and if you tell me the truth, we can help,’ and he wasn’t able to do that,” she explained. “That, for me, has really resonated, especially now as a mother,” she continued. “I look at Archie, I think about this child, and I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can’t imagine it. So it’s hard for me to reconcile that.”
Penguin
The Palace Papers, Tina Brown
Author and former Vanity Fair editor, Tina Brown, offers insight into how the biggest moments in recent royal history unfolded – from Camilla’s royal ascension, to Harry and Meghan’s departure.
In his best-selling memoir, Prince Harry details his life behind closed doors at the Palace – and his shocking decision to leave it all behind.
Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors, by Tom Bower
This was branded as one of the most ‘explosive’ royal biographies in recent years, detailing the fallout between the monarchy, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
This comes amid reports that Prince Harry has been encouraging Markle to reconcile with her family, particularly following his own progress towards peace with the Mountbatten-Windsors.
“Harry knows estrangement,” a source reportedly told Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop. “He made peace with his dad [and] now he wants Meghan to have the same chance. He’s been saying, ‘Don’t wait, do it now.’
“He’s showing Meghan what reconciliation looks like,” the source added. “And he hopes she takes it.”
We will continue to update this story.