Meghan’s estranged amputee father Thomas Markle hopes to walk again as he awaits prosthetic leg

Meghan Markle had ‘so much to celebrate’ this Christmas as her estranged father Thomas successfully began his difficult journey to walking again.

Mr Markle, 81, had his left leg amputated below the knee earlier this month and spent five days in intensive care due to a large blood clot that cut off blood flow to his left foot.

But as he celebrated Christmas from his hospital bed in the Philippines this week, Mr Markle said: ‘I have so much to celebrate. I’m fine and I want to thank everyone who sent their well wishes from around the world.

‘I do physiotherapy every day and have managed to sit on the edge of the bed and even stand on my one remaining leg thanks to a nurse and a walking aid. It was a great Christmas gift. There’s a long way to go but I’m so grateful to the wonderful doctors and nurses who took such good care of me.’

Mr. Markle is currently married to his son, Tom Jr., earlier this year. He is in a hospital rehabilitation unit in Cebu, the Philippines, where he moved with.

Tom Jr. celebrated Christmas at his father’s bedside with Rose, 28, his girlfriend of nearly a year, and Mr. Markle’s private nurse, Christine.

He said: ‘Considering what my father has been through, he’s doing pretty well. Rose and I visited her for Christmas and brought her a card with a decorated inside and some candies taped to it. He is on a special diet and had to drastically cut down on sugar, but doctors said he could have a few sweets to celebrate Christmas.

‘He managed to get out of bed and was wheeled to the recovery room where he enjoyed food and entertainment with other rehab patients. He’s in good spirits, grateful to be alive, and working really hard to get better. He is a brave man and is determined to walk again with the help of a prosthetic leg.’

Thomas Markle and Caroline Graham in Mexico in 2019

Mr. Markle (pictured here with his daughter in 2011) famously fell out with Meghan on the eve of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Mr Markle famously fell out with his daughter on the eve of her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

She had posed for some paparazzi photos, thinking it would help improve her public image, and then suffered two heart attacks, leaving her unable to walk her daughter down the aisle of St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Meghan walked the aisle part of the way on her own but was escorted to the altar by King Charles; He described Mr Markle’s behavior as ‘extremely kind and generous’.

He said: ‘I will always regret not being able to walk Meghan down the aisle but King Charles stepped in and I will be forever grateful. This was a very kind and generous act on his part.’

Mr Markle claims he received an ‘angry’ phone call from his daughter and Prince Harry while he was recovering from his second heart attack, which led to them estranged.

When he had a severe stroke in 2022, he could not hear from his daughter.

After his leg was amputated earlier this month, he sent a letter to her through the local US consulate, which was presented to him in the presence of an attorney who videotaped the leg being delivered.

Mr Markle has repeatedly said he would love to reconcile with his daughter and meet her grandchildren, six-year-old Lilibet Archie and four-year-old Lilibet Archie.

She has never met her son-in-law, Prince Harry.

He is expected to stay in the rehabilitation center for at least three months until he learns to stand upright again, first with the help of a walking aid and then with crutches. Doctors hope to fit him with a prosthetic leg later.

Tom Jr said: ‘We still have a long way to go but we had so much to celebrate this Christmas.’