Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle had leg amputated in a 'case of life or death'

Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, has had to have his left leg amputated below the knee.

His son, Thomas Markle Jr., told The Daily Mail that the elder Markle went into surgery on Wednesday in the Philippines.

According to Thomas Jr., the 81-year-old underwent the procedure after a blood clot cut off circulation to his left leg, causing it to turn black.

“My dad is being very brave. His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly. I took him to a local hospital and they did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated,” Thomas Jr. told the outlet.

He added, “There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death.”

Thomas Sr. is expected to undergo additional surgery to remove a blood clot from his left thigh, and doctors are “extremely concerned” about his health, according to his son.

“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,” he said.

He continued, “There was no option given. It was either, ‘We have to operate now and remove the leg, or he may die.’ It was a life-threatening situation.”

Thomas Jr. and Samantha Markle are from Thomas Markle’s first marriage and half siblings to Meghan Markle.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018. He allegedly staged paparazzi photos in the lead up to their royal wedding, something Meghan addressed in the 2022 Netflix series “Harry and Meghan.”

“H and I called my dad. I said, ‘They’re saying you’re taking money from the tabloids to stage photos. Is this true?’ He says, ‘No,’” she said in the episode, per Us Weekly. “And on that call, I’d said to him, ‘Look. If they can’t stop this story, then it’s going to come out tomorrow, so why don’t we send someone right now to your house to get you out of there now because if that’s the case, your house will be swarmed by media. We’ll get you out.’”

She added, “He said, ‘No. I have things I need to do.’ And it felt really cagey. I was like, ‘It doesn’t make sense.’ And when we hung up, I looked at H. I was like, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t believe him.’”