Meghan Markle’s rocky relationship with her father is back in the spotlight, with royal experts pointing out that her push to promote a warm, wholesome home life image doesn’t quite line up with how little contact she’s had with him.
“Meghan has frantically tried to build a wholesome family-oriented brand in 2025,” Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube’s “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered,” told Fox News Digital.
“It would be in her best interest to show her elderly father, who had just lost a limb, some compassion. Otherwise, every time we see Meghan and Harry lovingly engage with wounded vets at Invictus, we will ask ourselves why they couldn’t show Meghan’s father the same compassion.”
“Right now, she is simultaneously promoting a holiday special centered on family,” Schofield continued. “At the very least, Thomas should be allowed to meet his grandchildren.”
Thomas Markle, a former Hollywood lighting director who has reportedly undergone a left leg amputation, told The Mail on Sunday he doesn’t want to die while alienated from his daughter.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex told Fox News Digital that the 44-year-old was able to send a letter to the 81-year-old, who is currently hospitalized in the Philippines after undergoing emergency surgery.
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“Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father’s bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days,” said the spokesperson.
“With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands,” the rep added.
The news broke shortly after the Duchess of Sussex’s holiday special, “With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration,” premiered on Netflix. Earlier this year, she launched a lifestyle brand, As Ever, and a series for the streaming giant, “With Love, Meghan.”
British royals expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital there’s a good reason the ailing patriarch continues to speak out to the press, even if it means sacrificing his relationship with the mother of two.
“Thomas’s decision to speak out could be a result of his hurt feelings, as he’s repeatedly expressed being lonely and missing both his daughter and meeting his grandchildren,” Fordwich said. “He wanted to meet Harry. He probably needs the money.”
“Regardless of what her father has done in recent years, he is still her father,” Fordwich added. “He raised her as best he could with clear devotion. Even a private, brief meeting would have been helpful.”
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Thomas and Meghan have been estranged since she married Prince Harry in 2018. People magazine reported that Meghan was trying to reach her father, but her calls and emails weren’t getting through.
The Mail on Sunday claimed Meghan didn’t have his phone number and that he “never uses email.” People magazine reported that Meghan called several hospitals in an effort to locate him.
“They are still estranged due to his public betrayals, media leaks and the paparazzi photos he distastefully staged before Meghan’s wedding,” Fordwich said.
“Then he later released parts of her private letter to a tabloid and subsequently gave a series of interviews attacking Meghan. Therefore, I highly doubt there’s a realistic prospect of a proper reconciliation, though her brand of compassion and family values might benefit from it.”
The Mail on Sunday noted that Thomas first shared news of his health condition with its reporter, not Meghan’s half-siblings.
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“This isn’t just about her father’s betrayal,” Fordwich said. “This is also about her sense of betrayal. The biggest irony is that while Meghan and Harry don’t trust him, that’s precisely how the royals view them.”
Thomas Markle Jr. told the U.K. outlet his father’s leg was amputated Dec. 3 in the Philippines. He said a blood clot in his father’s thigh cut off circulation to his leg, leading to the surgery.
Thomas Jr. said the operation was “life or death” after his father’s foot turned “black and blue.” He added that his father remains in an intensive care unit.
Fox News Digital previously reached out to Thomas Markle Jr. for comment.
Thomas’ leg amputation follows years of health struggles. He reportedly suffered a stroke in 2022.
Thomas claimed he was cut off by his daughter but has never stopped loving her. He said he suffered two heart attacks that prevented him from attending her royal wedding in the U.K. and that Meghan has never forgiven him.
“Why should Thomas stop speaking out?” asked Schofield.
“Prince Harry does the same thing. If we are going to criticize Thomas for talking to the media about family matters, we should hold Harry to the same standard. My understanding is that Thomas kept his same phone number in case she ever decided to reconnect. The media is his only outlet, and he is desperate.”
“His decision to speak out is a mix of sincerely missing his daughter and wanting to hold her team accountable,” Schofield added.
In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she “lost” her father after he began “working with the tabloids” ahead of her wedding. Thomas later said he regretted the staged photos that led to their fallout.
“The tabloids had apparently known [his location] for a month or so and decided to hold until the Sunday before our wedding because they wanted to create drama,” she claimed.
“We called my dad, and I asked him [about staging the photos],” she said. “He said, ‘No, absolutely not.’ … I said, ‘I just need you to tell me, and if you tell me the truth, we can help,’ and he wasn’t able to do that. And that, for me, has really resonated, especially now as a mother. … I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child. I can’t imagine it. So, it’s hard for me to reconcile that.”
Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, took responsibility for arranging her father’s staged paparazzi photos. The duchess also remains estranged from her siblings, who have repeatedly spoken negatively about her in the press.
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As scrutiny around Meghan’s family grows, Schofield warned it will only continue to clash with the polished, camera-ready image she aims to project. She previously told Fox News Digital that Harry and Meghan’s star power is “fading” in Hollywood five years after their royal exit.
“That will frustrate them because they’ve experienced the dopamine hit of adoration,” said Schofield. “Their confidence in leaving the royal family was rooted in their perceived popularity. They’ll keep putting themselves out there because they need to make money, but Meghan’s commercial ambitions conflict with Harry’s desire to rebuild royal bridges.”
Meghan, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince. The couple stepped back as senior royals in 2020, citing the unbearable intrusions of the British press and a lack of support from the palace. That year, they moved to the wealthy, coastal city of Montecito, California.
“I look at [my son] Archie, I think about this child [on the way, Lilibet], and I genuinely can’t imagine doing anything to intentionally cause pain to my child,” Meghan told Oprah.
“I can’t imagine it. So it’s hard for me to reconcile that.”
