Has Meghan Markle Managed to Get in Touch With Her Father, Who Recently Had Part of His Leg Amputated?

After years of deafening silence and heartbreak, Meghan Markle is scrambling to find the father she once left behind — but as he recovers in a foreign hospital bed, confused and pleading for contact, one devastating question looms: Will she reach him before it's too late?

In a breathtaking turn of events that's gripped the world, Meghan Markle may finally be ready to mend the broken bond with her ailing father — but is it too little, too late?

Just as the world learned that Thomas Markle Sr had undergone life-saving surgery and lost a leg following a devastating blood clot, whispers emerged that the Duchess of Sussex was preparing to reach out to the man she once called Daddy. But what followed was a tangled web of conflicting claims, heartbreak, and a father's dying wish.

A Secret Attempt to Reconnect... Or a Case of Too Much, Too Late?

According to a spokesperson for the Duchess, Meghan made the first move on Friday, 5 December, reaching out to her estranged father after learning of his grueling surgery to amputate his leg — years after their bitter fallout.

"I can confirm she has reached out to her father," the rep told PEOPLE. It was later revealed that Meghan, 44, had lost her father's number and resorted to email, only to discover that his old address had long been inactive.

In a bid to handle the deeply personal outreach privately, the Duchess reportedly kept her effort under wraps. But that calm was shattered the very next day.

'Confused' and Still Waiting: Thomas Markle Speaks Out

On 6 December, the Mail on Sunday dropped a bombshell: Thomas Sr was "confused" and claimed he'd received no contact from his daughter at all.

Despite reports that she was searching for him, the 81-year-old insisted he had never changed his number — even after their highly publicized fallout — and said he had not heard a word from Meghan.

But the revelations didn't stop there.

With his permission, the Mail on Sunday went a step further, contacting the very hospital where the former Hollywood lighting director was undergoing treatment. Not one doctor, nurse, or staff member had any record of contact from Meghan or her team.

"Mr. Markle is a VIP patient. Of course we all know who he is," a hospital insider shared with the outlet. "If Meghan or anyone connected with her had called here, we would have known."

"It is a big hospital by Filipino standards but we all know each other and we all talk," the source added. "We were all confused when we saw the story that the duchess had reached out to her dad. As far as we are aware it didn't happen."

In a moment that tugged at the heartstrings, the staff added, "We would love to see the duchess here in the Philippines!"

A Race to Find Her Father... Before It's Too Late

By Monday, 8 December, fresh details emerged. Meghan had reportedly begun calling hospitals across the Philippines to locate her father.

An insider told The Times that Meghan planned to send a handwritten letter to Thomas Sr, who was now recovering in a Cebu hospital, where he was expected to stay for at least another week.

"There's been progress, but she hasn't made contact [yet]... It's hoped and expected that there will be some form of communication in the next 24 hours," the source shared.

'I Don't Want to Die Estranged' — A Father's Final Plea

In a heartbreaking plea that left readers reeling, Thomas Sr issued a message to his daughter. "I don't want to die estranged," he told the Mail on Sunday — a reminder of how deep their rift still runs.

And in a final, desperate hope, he said he dreams of meeting Prince Harry and the grandchildren he's never seen — Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet — "before it's too late."

As we previously reported, the patriarch has suffered a devastating blow to his health — one that left doctors no choice but to take drastic, life-saving action after a terrifying medical emergency unfolded without warning.

In a horrifying turn of events, Thomas Sr lost a limb after a sudden medical crisis left him fighting for his life.

The 81-year-old father of the Duchess of Sussex was rushed into emergency surgery last week in the Philippines, after falling alarmingly ill at home under the care of his son, Thomas Jr.

What began as a routine concern spiraled into a terrifying medical emergency when doctors discovered a blood clot in his leg.

Three Hours in Surgery to Save His Life

On Wednesday, 3 December, doctors performed a harrowing three-hour operation, amputating his left foot and lower leg after the clot cut off circulation and turned the limb blue — then black.

"My dad is being very brave," Thomas Jr shared. "His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly. I took him to a local hospital and they did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated."

The choice, he said, was devastating — but unavoidable:

"There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death."

Still in ICU — And Another Operation Looms

Tragically, Thomas Sr's ordeal wasn't over. At the time, remained in the ICU in stable condition, awaiting another procedure to remove a second blood clot, this time higher up in his left thigh.

According to his son, doctors were "extremely concerned" about his condition following the traumatic amputation.

"One of his doctors said the next two or three days are critical," Thomas Jr said. "They were worried about infection setting in — sepsis or gangrene. The flesh was black and dying."

Physicians treating Thomas Sr, who spoke to the Daily Mail with his permission, also confirmed just how fragile the coming days could be, citing the risk of infection as a looming threat.

"We need to make sure the wound heals and does not become infected," one doctor warned. "At the moment he is in stable condition and doing well. But, at his age, that could change quickly."

A Son's Plea — And A Silent Daughter

Thomas Jr, clearly shaken, said his father faces a long and uncertain recovery following the procedure.

"This was a major operation but he needed it to save his life. I would ask everyone to keep him in their thoughts. He is a brave and tough man," he said — before delivering a heart-wrenching appeal to his estranged sister:

"I would appeal to Meghan to show him compassion at this very difficult time."

As of now, the Duchess of Sussex has declined to comment on her father's condition, or the amputation that may forever alter his life.

The update came after mounting concern for the ailing pensioner, whose health has declined in recent years. Readers may recall that Thomas Sr was rushed to hospital on Tuesday, 2 December, after falling gravely ill at home. Doctors quickly determined the situation was life-threatening.

"They did various scans and the doctors said his life was in imminent danger," his son Thomas Jr told the Daily Mail. "They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the centre of the city."

Three-Hour Emergency Surgery — And He's Not Out of the Woods Yet

The ailing Thomas Sr underwent a gruelling three-hour operation on Wednesday and was sent to the intensive care unit, awaiting a second surgery to remove his first blood clot.

"My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts," Thomas Jr said at the time. His sister Samantha Markle also weighed in, blaming years of personal strain and stress for their father's increasingly fragile condition.

"He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this," she said. "My father has been through two heart attacks, a stroke and an earthquake. I hope he can pull through this."

Years of Decline — And Meghan Still Silent

Thomas Sr has long been in declining health. In 2018, just days before Meghan's royal wedding, he suffered two heart attacks and was forced to cancel his trip to London. In 2022, he endured a severe stroke that left him unable to speak — a trauma he eventually overcame through intense therapy.

Earlier this year, he moved to the Philippines with Thomas Jr, saying he hoped to find peace and escape the constant, painful reminders of his estrangement from Meghan.

"My only wish is that Meghan shows my father some compassion. He is literally fighting for his life," Thomas Jr pleaded.

No Meeting with Harry, No Hello from Archie or Lilibet

After all these years, Thomas Sr has never met his son-in-law Prince Harry, nor his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

After he suffered two heart attacks just days before Meghan's wedding, he says there was no forgiveness, no follow-up, no compassion. The rift began when it emerged he had staged paparazzi photos in the lead-up to the wedding — a move he says was born not out of malice, but desperation.

"Meghan and Harry did nothing to prepare me for the attention I was getting," Thomas Sr explained. "The paparazzi were getting pictures of me every day and they were very unflattering. I believed the photographer when he said putting nice pictures out there would show me in a better light."

Instead, the fallout was swift — and brutal. "He and Meghan were angry with me and when I said I was in hospital and had nearly died from two heart attacks, they didn't even ask how I was," he revealed. "I reached out every way I could. I appealed to them publicly and I wrote private letters. They cut me dead. It broke my heart."

Meghan's Side of the Story — and the Pain That Still Lingers

Meghan addressed the scandal during her bombshell 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, where she recounted the intense scrutiny on her family before her wedding and her heartbreak over her father's betrayal.

She claimed her communications team discovered the tabloids were sitting on the photo story, timing its release to cause maximum damage on the weekend of her wedding. She said she called her father directly to confirm if the story was true — and that he denied working with photographers.

She told him the institution could "kill" the story if he was honest, but warned that using that favor now would mean they couldn't use it in future — not even to protect their own children. Still, she says, he insisted he had done nothing wrong.

But when the story broke, the damage was done. The trust — and their relationship — shattered. And yet, for all the televised soundbites and carefully worded statements, Thomas Sr has said his wish remains heartbreakingly simple.

"My only wish is to see my grandchildren before I die," he said.

As he battles for survival from a hospital bed thousands of miles away, that wish may be slipping further out of reach.