The estranged father of the Duchess of Sussex has sent a heartfelt message to see her “one more time before I die”.
Thomas Markle, 81, gave an interview after having his leg amputated following surgery in the Philippines.
He pleaded to Meghan from his hospital bed that he didn’t “want to die estranged”.
According to the Mail on Sunday, Mr Markle said he was “confused” by widespread reports that his 44-year-old daughter had “reached out” to contact him following his serious health scare.
He claimed he hasn’t heard from Meghan “but would love to speak to her”, adding: “Of course I want to speak to her but I am not sure if these are the right circumstances.
“I’ve always said I am open to reconciling with my daughter. I have never stopped loving her. I don’t want to die estranged from Meghan. I want to meet my grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband too.”
Meghan has been estranged from her father since her 2018 wedding when he was caught staging paparazzi photos in the run-up to the big day.
A spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex said: “I can confirm she has reached out to her father.”
The development is understood to have only just happened.
No further details have been released, including whether or not the attempt was successful.
Meghan is said to have previously tried to reach out to him in the past.
Mr Markle, who moved from Mexico to live in Asia, has never met his grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The retired TV lighting director ended up in intensive care on Wednesday after a three-hour emergency surgery
He was later said to have had his leg amputated below the knee after his foot turned black.
Mr Markle pulled out of attending Harry and Meghan’s wedding seven years ago after he was caught staging photographs for the paparazzi in the US, and then suffered a heart attack.
Harry’s father, now King Charles, stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle.
Mr Markle went on to repeatedly speak to the media and later claimed he had been “shunned” by Meghan.
The Duke of Sussex, who is also estranged from his brother the Prince of Wales and has a troubled relationship with the King, has never met Mr Markle in person.
Harry reunited with Charles face to face at a private tea in Clarence House in September after 19 months apart, after previously telling how his father would not speak to him amid the duke’s High Court battle with the Home Office over security.
Mr Markle has reflected on how both he and the King know how “tough” it is to be estranged from their child.
This week, the duchess’s new With Love, Meghan Christmas special – which has been roundly lambasted by critics – premiered on Netflix the same day as news broke of Mr Markle’s admittance to intensive care.
