The Duchess of Sussex's father, Thomas Markle, is in intensive care after emergency surgery in the Philippines, his family has said.
Thomas Markle, 81, who has been estranged from his daughter since her 2018 marriage to Prince Harry, was rushed to hospital on Tuesday after being taken gravely ill at home, his son Thomas Jr said.
He underwent three hours of surgery and now faces a second procedure to remove blood clots, it was reported.
Thomas Jr told MailOnline: “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.”
Thomas's daughter Samantha, 61, told the Mail: “He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this.
“My father has been through two heart attacks, a stroke and an earthquake. I hope he can pull through this.”
Mr Markle has suffered two heart attacks and a stroke in recent years and had been living in Mexico for the past 10 year before relocating to the Philippines in January.
He has been estranged from Meghan since suffering two heart attacks on the eve of her wedding to Harry in 2018.
The pensioner was unable to walk her down the aisle, and they’ve not been in contact since after a high-profile falling out.
Their relationship fractured further when Thomas Markle posed for paparazzi pictures ahead of the pair tying the knot.
It was reported that Meghan cut ties with her father after he put the phone down during a heated row with Prince Harry.
But in an interview earlier this year, Thomas said he dreams of bringing his “whole family together” and wishes Meghan “no ill-will”.
Mr Markle told the Mail on Sunday that “every day I see something about Meghan”, adding he did not “like some of the things my daughter has done” but would “always love her”.
It comes as the Duchess of Sussex’s Christmas special, With Love, Meghan, dropped on Netflix this week.
In the one-hour episode, Meghan shares her festive tips, makes personalised crackers and hosts friends for brunch.
