Meghan Markle’s dad is fighting for his life after undergoing emergency surgery in the Philippines, his son has said.
Thomas Markle, 81, took gravely ill at home on Tuesday and was rushed to hospital, where he remains in intensive care.
He underwent around three hours of surgery on Thursday and was tonight in the intensive care unit. He now faces a second procedure to remove a blood clot, it is reported.
Thomas has been estranged from his daughter since her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry. His son Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail: “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.
“They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the center of the city. My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts.”
Thomas’s daughter Samantha, 61, said she believed the strain of the last few years had taken its toll on her father and added to his fragility. She said: “He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that his 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. has been in poor health for a number of years.
King Charles ended up walking Meghan part-way down the aisle at St George’s Chapel in Windsor after Thomas suffered two heart attacks on the eve of his daughter’s wedding which stopped him from getting on a plane from his home in Los Angeles to London.
Thomas, who has never met his son-in-law or grandchildren – Archie, six and Lilibet, four – also suffered a massive stroke in 2022 which left him unable to speak. He regained some speech after months of therapy but has become increasingly frail in recent years.
He moved to the Philippines in January of this year partly with his son to “escape” from the constant reminders of his estrangement from his daughter.
Tom Jr said on Wednesday night: “My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life.”
Meghan has not seen her father in years and their relationship has grown more strained since he gave several critical TV interviews about her relationship with Prince Harry.
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