Thomas Markle, the 81-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex, is in intensive care in the Philippines after undergoing emergency surgery, his family has confirmed.
A Medical Crisis Unfolds
Thomas Markle was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after falling gravely ill at his home. His son, Thomas Markle Jr., acted quickly, taking him to a local facility before an urgent ambulance transfer to a larger city-centre hospital. Doctors performed a three-hour emergency operation on Thursday, but the retired Hollywood lighting director now faces a second procedure to remove a blood clot.
"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. stated. "They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going... My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts."
A Frail Health and a Fractured Relationship
This latest health scare is part of a long history of medical issues for Mr Markle. He suffered two heart attacks just before his daughter's 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, which prevented him from attending. In 2022, he had a massive stroke that left him unable to speak, and while he regained some speech through therapy, he has grown increasingly frail.
His daughter, Samantha Markle, 61, suggested the strain of the past years had impacted his health. "He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this," she said.
The medical emergency occurred during a week when Prince Harry gave a paid speech in Canada and Meghan Markle released a holiday special of her Netflix series, 'With Love, Meghan', which emphasised the importance of family. Thomas Jr., 59, who has been his father's primary carer since the stroke, made a direct appeal: "My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life."
A Father's Heartbreak and a Plea for Reconciliation
Thomas Markle has been estranged from his daughter since her marriage. He and his son moved to the Philippines in January, partly, he said, to escape the constant media reminders of the rift. He has never met his son-in-law or his grandchildren, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
In a previous interview, Mr Markle expressed profound sadness over the situation. "Being shut out of her life is the biggest tragedy of my life," he said. "I don't understand what I did so wrong that she never talked to me again... I have never stopped loving her." He has repeatedly voiced a desire to see his grandchildren before he dies.
The estrangement reportedly began after he posed for paparazzi pictures before the wedding, an act for which he said Prince Harry chastised him. Despite paying for Meghan's private education and university tuition, and sharing a previously close bond—evidenced in old blog posts and childhood stories—the relationship shattered.
His son expects a "gruelling" and lengthy recovery. "I would ask Meg, on a week when she has released a TV show talking about the power of love and family, to reach out to our dad," Thomas Jr. implored. "She needs to start showing the compassion she preaches about."
