Meghan Markle reached out to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, following his emergency leg amputation, Page Six can confirm.
“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” a spokesperson for the former actress said in a statement.
Page Six reported earlier Friday that Thomas had his left leg amputated below the knee after a blood clot blocked circulation and his foot became discolored. We’re told a report claiming Markle relied on her aides for help in getting in touch with her dad is untrue.
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According to the 81-year-old’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., the procedure took place in the Philippines.
“My dad is being very brave. His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly,” he told the Daily Mail Thursday.
The three-hour surgery came after Thomas Markle, Jr. said medical staff “did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated.”
The retired lighting director was subsequently transported via ambulance to a facility in Cebu, where he was immediately rushed into surgery to have the limb removed.
Thomas Jr. explained that they had “no option” but to agree to the amputation as it was “a case of life or death.”
Meghan’s father is facing an additional procedure to remove a blood clot in his left thigh as the urgent situation unfolds.
Doctors are “extremely concerned,” Thomas Jr. told the outlet.
“One of his doctors said the next two or three days are critical. His left leg has been removed below the knee. They were worried about infection setting in — sepsis or gangrene. The flesh was black and dying,” Thomas Jr. shared.
He added that there “was no option given” in a dire medical emergency.
“It was either, ‘We have to operate now and remove the leg, or he may die.’ It was a life-threatening situation,” Thomas Jr. explained.
Thomas Jr. initially told the outlet on Dec. 2 that his father had entered the intensive care unit after an emergency procedure.
Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, expressed hope that their father could weather the stresses of the surgery.
