Prince Harry's father-in-law underwent leg amputation - but his daughter is indifferent to her father's suffering 0 18

81-year-old Thomas Markle, the father of Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, underwent an emergency amputation of his left leg below the knee at a clinic in the Philippines, where he moved in January 2025 with his son to blend in with the locals and avoid reminders of his painful estrangement from his daughter.

The incident occurred against the backdrop of serious health issues: a blood clot blocked circulation, causing tissue necrosis — the limb turned blue and black within hours, making the surgery a matter of life and death, the Daily Mail reports. The surgical procedure lasted about three hours, with doctors removing the foot and lower leg to prevent sepsis and gangrene.

Meghan's brother Thomas Jr. reported that their father underwent the procedure bravely, but the coming days will be critical for him.

Markle remains in the intensive care unit of a major hospital in Cebu, where he was transferred after an initial hospitalization at a local clinic — examinations revealed a clot in his left thigh, requiring additional surgery. A source at the medical facility noted that his condition is stable, but any complications could change the situation at any moment.

Estrangement from Meghan: seven years without communication

Moving to the Philippines was an attempt by Thomas to start a new life away from the U.S., where he experienced two heart attacks and a major stroke in 2022, partially regaining his speech thanks to a speech therapist.

Meghan Markle severed ties with her father before her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018, outraged by his interviews with the press and the publication of her childhood photos without permission. Over the seven years, Thomas has never met his son-in-law in person and has never seen his grandchildren. The brother urged his sister to put aside their disputes and support their father in crisis; before the surgery, she did not respond, focusing on her own family and projects in the U.S.

But late in the evening after the amputation, Meghan reached out: her representatives confirmed that the Duchess instructed her aides to check the news and directly contacted her father, but the details of that conversation are not disclosed. This was their first contact in seven years, prompted by the shocking events. A spokesperson noted that Meghan had not been informed of Thomas's condition until it was publicly announced. Meghan's relationship with her mother Doria Ragland, on the other hand, remains warm, unlike the strained one with her father, whose interviews after the wedding exacerbated the rift.

Scandal over Meghan Markle's thefts

Journalist Vanessa Grigoriadis stated in a recent interview that Meghan regularly steals expensive outfits after photo shoots and promotional events. According to her, this is a whole series of thefts that Markle does not even hide: the Galvan dress costing nearly $2,000, worn for the cover of Variety in 2022, was not returned to the brand, and later she wore it for her own show "With Love, Meghan." An even louder story involves the Chanel tweed dress from the Fall/Winter 2022/23 collection costing $8,000 — Markle appeared in it at a dinner at New York's SoHo House. There was also a story about missing Aquazzurra shoes from the filming of the series "Suits," which later appeared at her engagement with Harry.

Designers and stylists, according to Grigoriadis, are outraged: such cases occur systematically. Meghan allegedly explained this by her desire "not to let anyone profit from reselling clothes she has already worn," but insiders call the justification absurd — especially in light of her multimillion-dollar contracts and living in a $15 million mansion. Now she is openly referred to online as "the kleptomaniac in the crown."