Thomas Markle, the 81-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex, has found himself in the spotlight due to a sharp decline in his health. He was taken to a hospital in the Philippines, where doctors performed emergency surgery. According to his son, the situation was critical and his life was in direct danger.
Thomas Markle Jr. told reporters about the dramatic events that unfolded on Tuesday. “I drove my father to the nearest hospital, they did some scans, and the doctors said his life was in immediate danger,” he shared. After that, they were urgently transported by ambulance, sirens blaring, to a larger and better-equipped hospital in the city center for emergency care.
The son also clarified that his father faces another operation. Doctors need to remove a blood clot to stabilize his condition and prevent further complications. “My father underwent emergency surgery. I would ask everyone in the world to pray for him and keep him in their thoughts,” added Thomas Jr., expressing hope for the best.
The eldest daughter, Samantha Markle, also publicly expressed concern for her father’s condition. She is hoping for his speedy recovery, noting that he is a strong person but has had to endure a lot in recent years. “He has suffered two heart attacks, a stroke, and even an earthquake. I pray he has the strength to pull through this time as well,” she said in her statement.
It is worth noting that Thomas Jr. and Samantha are children from the first marriage. Meghan herself, the daughter from her father’s second marriage to Doria Ragland, and her mother have so far not made any public comment on the troubling news about Thomas’s health. Their silence once again highlights the deep rift within the family.
Meghan’s relationship with her father was irreparably damaged back in 2018. The rift was triggered by a highly publicized scandal involving staged paparazzi photos that Thomas took shortly before his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry, causing a major public outcry.
In the Netflix documentary series, the Duchess recalled how she and Harry called her father to clarify the situation. “I asked, ‘They say you’re taking money from the tabloids for staged photos. Is that true?’ He said, ‘No,’” Meghan recounted. She offered to take him out of the house immediately to avoid media harassment, but he refused, citing some urgent matters. According to her, his behavior seemed very suspicious and insincere.
Later, Thomas Markle cited a heart attack and did not attend his daughter’s wedding, which was a major blow for her. In the same series, Prince Harry admitted that he felt “incredibly sad” about Meghan’s estrangement from her father. “She used to have a father. Now she doesn’t. And I shoulder that. Because if Meg hadn’t been with me, her father would still be her father,” the Duke of Sussex said bitterly.
As a reminder, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped down as senior members of the royal family in 2020 and moved to California. They are now raising two children—six-year-old son Archie and four-year-old daughter Lilibet—while trying to live a life away from the intense scrutiny of the British press.
For reference, Thomas Wayne Markle is a well-known former television lighting director. He worked on popular American TV series such as “Married… with Children” and “General Hospital.” Over his career, he received several prestigious Emmy Awards. Despite his past achievements, in recent years his name has appeared in the press mainly in connection with his complicated and dramatic relationship with his younger daughter, Meghan, and the British royal family.
