The Duchess of Sussex has stated she has made attempts to reach her estranged father, Thomas Markle, following reports he underwent surgery to have his left leg amputated at a hospital in the Philippines.
A Plea for Reconciliation Amid Health Crisis
According to reports, Thomas Markle told the Mail on Sunday he does not wish to die while still distanced from his daughter. He expressed a desire to meet Meghan's children, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four, as well as her husband, the Duke of Sussex. The retired TV lighting director was reportedly admitted to intensive care on Wednesday, 3rd December 2025, after a three-hour emergency operation, later requiring an amputation below the knee.
On Friday, 6th December, a spokesperson for Meghan confirmed she had "reached out" to her father. The pair have been estranged since 2018, when Mr Markle pulled out of her wedding to Prince Harry after being caught staging paparazzi photographs, an incident followed by a heart attack.
Conflicting Accounts of Communication Attempts
However, The Mail on Sunday reported that Mr Markle was "confused" by the suggestion of contact, stating he had received no messages despite not changing his phone number. The paper claimed Meghan had used an email address he had not accessed "for at least five years" and that Mr Markle "never uses email".
A source close to the Duchess strongly contested this narrative. They stated: "The Mail made no attempt to contact the Duchess's team, prior to publication to verify the claims in their report. Had they asked... we would simply have told them to ask Mr Markle to check his email." The source added that the detail of the email had been withheld to keep the private matter out of the public eye.
It is understood that Meghan has since contacted reporters at the Mail, asking them to provide a means of contacting her father or the name of his hospital, but has received no response. The source accused the publication of "puppeteering this desperately sad situation".
A Long-Strained Family Rift
The relationship between Meghan and her father has been fractured for years. After missing the wedding, where King Charles III stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle, Mr Markle repeatedly spoke to the media. He later claimed he had been "shunned" by his daughter, criticising her but still pleading for a reunion and a chance to see his grandchildren, whom he has never met.
In a previous legal matter, the Duchess won a High Court privacy and copyright claim against Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over the publication of parts of a private letter she wrote to her father. The Duke of Sussex, who is himself estranged from his brother, the Prince of Wales, and has a troubled relationship with the King, has never met Thomas Markle in person.
This latest personal family crisis unfolds against the backdrop of Harry's own tentative steps towards reconciliation with his father, having reunited with the King for a private tea in September 2025 after 19 months apart.
