While she reportedly faced several early challenges, Meghan Markle has finally reached her estranged father, Thomas Markle, as he recovers from leg-amputation surgery in the Philippines.
On Wednesday, Dec. 10, it was confirmed that a letter from the 44-year-old Duchess of Sussex had arrived and was “safely in his hands,” People reported.
“With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands,” a spokesperson for the “With Love, Meghan” star told the outlet.
Reports first surfaced on Wednesday, Dec. 3, that Thomas had undergone a lower-leg amputation. According to Newsweek, the procedure was a life-saving measure after he developed a 14-inch blood clot that caused necrosis — or tissue death — in his foot and put his life in danger.
A week later, on Tuesday, Dec. 9, new reporting clarified that, despite contradictory claims, Meghan — who has been estranged from her father since 2018 — had been attempting to contact him through email but hadn’t been able to get through. Although The Mail on Sunday reported she had not reached out, she had in fact tried to make contact on Friday, Dec. 5 — a fact confirmed only after speculation grew and Thomas became confused amid his recovery.
A source close to Thomas said Meghan didn’t initially have a working phone number for him. People also learned that her team worked “tirelessly” to track him down, with Meghan personally calling several hospitals in the region in search of him.
To ensure future communication doesn’t falter during critical moments, her team has also sought clarity on the best way to reach him going forward. According to the New York Post, Thomas relocated to the Philippines in early 2025 with Meghan’s half-brother to escape media attention.
This is the latest in a string of health challenges for Thomas, who also suffered a stroke in 2022.
Before his recent health decline, father and daughter had been estranged since the days leading up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Thomas admitted to staging paparazzi photos, and Meghan has said he wasn’t fully truthful in his dealings with the press. Several members of his extended family, including her half-siblings, also appeared to launch a public campaign to disparage her.
Meghan addressed the rift during her and Harry’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying she felt the relationship had been irreparably damaged and adding, “I’ve lost my father.”
