Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, underwent surgery to have his left leg amputated below the knee.
Thomas’ son, Thomas Markle Jr., confirmed to the Daily Mail on Friday, December 5, that the former Hollywood lighting director went under the knife on Wednesday, December 3, in the Philippines.
According to Thomas Jr., the elder Thomas, 81, underwent surgery after a blood clot cut off circulation to his left leg, causing the limb to turn black.
“My dad is being very brave. 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,” said Thomas Jr.
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“There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death,” Thomas Jr. added.
Thomas Jr., 59, said that his father is now expected to undergo further surgery to remove a blood clot in his left thigh, telling the Daily Mail that doctors are “extremely concerned” about the Duchess of Sussex’s father’s health.
“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,” Thomas Jr. said.
He added, “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.”
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The Daily Mail reported on Tuesday, December 2, that Thomas was hospitalized in intensive care in Cebu in the Philippines following an undisclosed illness.
“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,” Thomas Jr. told the outlet on Wednesday. “They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the center of the city.”
He added, “My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts.”
“He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this,” Thomas’ daughter, Samantha, 61, told the Daily Mail. “My father has been through two heart attacks, a stroke and an earthquake. I hope he can pull through this.”
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Thomas Jr. and Samantha are Thomas’ children from his first marriage. He shares Meghan, 44, with ex-wife Doria Ragland.
Meghan has been estranged from her father since her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. At the time, he was accused of staging paparazzi photos in the lead-up to Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding in May 2018.
“H and I called my dad. I said, ‘They’re saying you’re taking money from the tabloids to stage photos. Is this true?’ He says, ‘No,’” Meghan recalled in a 2022 episode of Netflix’s Harry and Meghan. “And on that call, I’d said to him, ‘Look. If they can’t stop this story, then it’s going to come out tomorrow, so why don’t we send someone right now to your house to get you out of there now because if that’s the case, your house will be swarmed by media. We’ll get you out.’”
She added at the time, “He said, ‘No. I have things I need to do.’ And it felt really cagey. I was like, ‘It doesn’t make sense.’ And when we hung up, I looked at H. I was like, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t believe him.’”