Tough times for Thomas Markle (81), whose health has deteriorated significantly in recent years. In 2018, he suffered two heart attacks, in 2022 he had a stroke, and currently, he is in critical condition after having his left leg amputated below the knee due to a blood clot cutting off circulation, leading to necrosis.
According to the latest information, the patient is in critical condition in the intensive care unit, as the next 48 to 72 hours after the operation are crucial. Doctors are monitoring the patient as they are concerned about the possibility of infection such as sepsis or gangrene, as reported by his son, Thomas Jr. (59) to Daily Mail.
"His foot turned blue and then black. I took my father to a hospital near our house where he underwent several tests, and the doctors said his life was in imminent danger. We were taken by ambulance, sirens blaring, to a much larger hospital in the city center," Meghan Markle's brother recounted to the British media.
The situation was so critical that, as his son told the British tabloid, "I was told they had to amputate his leg and it was a matter of life or death."
While the three-hour surgery was taking place at a hospital in Cebu, across the Pacific, Meghan Markle (43) was presenting the Christmas edition of her seriesWith Love, Meghan (Netflix), and Harry (41) was delivering a speech to a group of real estate agents in Canada.
Samantha Markle (61), Thomas's eldest daughter, also revealed to the Daily Mail that her father is a man "strong, but he has been through a lot. I pray that he is strong enough to survive this (...) My father has suffered two heart attacks, a stroke, and an earthquake. I hope he can overcome this."
Earlier this year, Meghan's father, with whom she has not spoken since she married the prince in 2018, moved to the Philippines to distance himself from all the media noise surrounding the Sussexes. So far, his youngest daughter has not reached out, just as she did not in previous times when his life was also in danger.
A few months before the royal wedding held on May 19, 2018, at St. George's Chapel in Windsor, disagreements erupted between father and daughter as Thomas began selling information to tabloids.
The Sussexes were so upset that they decided not to invite him to the wedding and subsequently cut off all communication. Furthermore, Thomas has not met his grandchildren, Archie (6) and Lillibet (4), who reside in a grand mansion in Montecito, California.