Meghan Markle has reportedly sent a letter to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, following his recent surgery.
Last week, Thomas 81, had his left leg below the knee amputated due to a blood clot. He is now recovering in hospital in the Philippines, where he lives with his son and Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Jr.
Meghan Markle urged to contact father
Following the operation, Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Jr, urged the Duchess of Sussex to get in touch with her father. He said: “I would appeal to Meghan to show him compassion at this very difficult time.”
Thomas Sr later issued his own heartbreaking plea from hospital, reportedly telling a Daily Mail reporter: “I don’t want to die estranged from Meghan.”
He also apparently expressed a desire to at last meet Meghan’s family, saying: “I want to meet my grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband too.”
‘Her correspondence is now safely in his hands’
As reported by the BBC, Thomas Sr has now received a letter from Meghan.
Her correspondence is now safely in his hands.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex reportedly said: “It has been exceedingly difficult for the duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days.”
They then added: “With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”
It was previously reported that Meghan had tried to reach out to her father amid his health ordeal, but the hospital claimed not to have received any calls or messages.
Meghan and Thomas Markle’s relationship
Meghan’s relationship with her father is believed to have deteriorated in the lead-up to her marriage to Prince Harry in May 2018.
Thomas had been set to attend the wedding, but was forced to pull out at the last minute to undergo heart surgery. It was also reported around the same time that he had paparazzi take staged photos of him preparing for the wedding.
Instead, Harry’s father, King Charles, walked Meghan down the aisle at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle in his place.
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Since then, Thomas has made several TV appearances. He has pleaded with Meghan to reconcile and to meet his grandchildren, Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
It’s believed that Thomas has never met his son-in-law, Prince Harry, or his grandkids.
Thomas recently told the Mail on Sunday that he’s “open to reconciling with my daughter”.
He added: “I have never stopped loving her.”
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