Duchess Meghan tries to contact estranged father after amputation reports

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, participates in The Archewell Foundation Parents' Summit "Mental Wellness in the Digital Age" as part of Project Healthy Minds' World Mental Health Day Festival on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

LONDON - Meghan Markle has sought to make contact with her estranged father Thomas Markle after he was reported to have had a leg amputated in the Philippines, a spokesperson for Meghan said on Friday.

“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” the spokesperson said.

Meghan - whose royal title is the Duchess of Sussex - and her father have been estranged since the run-up to her marriage in 2018 to Prince Harry, the younger brother of heir to the throne Prince William.

Days before the wedding, Thomas Markle said he would not attend due to ill health and after he admitted posing for paparazzi pictures.

British media said Thomas Markle moved from Mexico to the Philippines earlier this year.

(Reporting by Michael Holden in LondonWriting by William Schomberg; Editing by Matthew Lewis)