The Duchess of Sussex has spoken about the breakdown in the relationship between herself and her father, Thomas Markle, during the lead-up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. However, on 5 December, it was confirmed that she had offered an olive branch after she reached out to him following reports that he was seriously ill in the Philippines.

Meghan's relationship with her father turned sour prior to her wedding day, with the catalyst for her subsequent estrangement from the retired television lighting director coming after he cooperated with tabloid media to stage paparazzi photos of himself preparing for the wedding.

He later gave a series of interviews and public comments about his daughter, including on the topic of Harry's father, King Charles, walking Meghan down the aisle in his absence after he suffered two heart attacks ahead of the big day.

Speaking to ITV's Good Morning Britain in June 2018, Thomas Markle said: "I'm a footnote to the greatest moment in history rather than the dad who walked his daughter down the aisle. That upsets me somewhat."

In recent years, Thomas has suffered a number of health setbacks, with his daughter, Meghan's half-sister Samantha Markle, revealing that he had suffered a stroke in 2022 that left him temporarily mute.

Now, as Meghan has attempted to make contact with her father, keep scrolling for a timeline of events over the last 48 hours explaining the communication between the wife of Prince Harry and Thomas Markle.

On 3 December 3, 2025, it was revealed that Thomas Markle had been rushed to intensive care, where he underwent a three-hour-long surgery at a hospital in the Philippines. According to Thomas' son, Thomas Markle Jnr, he was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after being taken gravely ill at his home in the Philippines.

It was reported that following the surgery, he would face a second procedure to remove blood clots. Thomas Jr told the Daily Mail: "I took dad to a hospital close to our home and they did various scans and the doctors said his life was in imminent danger.

"They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the centre of the city. My dad has undergone emergency surgery. I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts."

The news came as Prince Harry's appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired on 3 December on CBS.