Meghan Markle has sent a letter to her estranged father Thomas Markle, who is currently in hospital in the Phillipines.
The 81-year-old underwent emergency surgery and remains in intensive care after falling seriously ill at his home in the Philippines, according to members of his family.
He was rushed to hospital last week after collapsing, with doctors later warning his condition was life-threatening.
Now, it’s been revealed that Meghan has managed to get a letter to her father, who is hoping to reconcile with his daughter, and meet his son-in-law and two grandchildren, before he dies.
A spokesperson for the duchess told the BBC it “has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days”.
“With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands,” they added.
Last week, Thomas Markle Jr said he took their father to a local hospital where medical staff discovered a dangerous blood clot.
“They did various scans and the doctors said his life was in imminent danger,” he told the Daily Mail. “They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the centre of the city. My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts.”
Thomas Jr also added a plea directly to his sister: “My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life.”
According to PA news agency, Meghan doesn’t have her father’s phone number and an email she sent sat unread.
The health scare comes after years of tension between Meghan and her father, who has previously suffered two heart attacks and a stroke.
His earlier medical issues prevented him from attending Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, with the then-Prince Charles stepping in to walk her down the aisle.
The timing of the news also added an emotional layer to an already strained family history.
Reports of Thomas Markle’s emergency surgery broke just hours after the release of Meghan’s new With Love, Meghan Netflix Christmas special.
To some, the contrast was striking, with a source familiar with the family dynamics telling Woman’s Day: “The fact her father’s fighting for his life in hospital while she’s playing happy Christmas families and peddling chocolate just shows how fractured this father-daughter relationship is.
“It’s certainly a situation that Harry’s extremely uncomfortable about, but having never met his father-in-law he has to trust Meghan’s reasons for cutting him out of her life.”
The same source alleged Meghan is aware of her father’s condition – but remains extremely cautious.
“The sad thing is that Meghan is keeping a distant eye on his situation – not because she cares, but because she doesn’t trust him or her sister to tell the truth anymore,” our insider shared. “She’s not going to be blindsided by her family and their paparazzi tricks ever again.”
Meghan has not publicly commented on her father’s hospitalisation.
Meanwhile, Thomas Markle’s other daughter, Samantha, also expressed her concern, saying, “He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this. My father has been through two heart attacks, a stroke and an earthquake. I hope he can pull through this.”
Thomas Sr moved to the Philippines in January after a decade in Mexico. His health struggles have often played out publicly, exacerbating the already delicate relationship with his youngest daughter.
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