Markle's Relationship With Dad May Have Taken a Turn

Royals watchers who've been yearning for a reconciliation between the Duchess of Sussex and her father just saw the door to that possibility open a tiny crack. The Daily Mail reported this week that 81-year-old Thomas Markle, whom Meghan Markle has been estranged from since she married Prince Harry in 2018, recently underwent an emergency amputation of his left leg in the Philippines after a blood clot cut off circulation to his limb. "There was no option," Thomas Markle Jr., the duchess' brother, told the outlet. "I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death."

Markle Jr. also made a pointed comment directed at his famous sibling. "Dad has a long road ahead," he said. "He is a brave and tough man. I would appeal to Meghan to show him compassion at this very difficult time." It's not clear whether his sister heard that appeal, but per People, an olive branch of sorts may indeed have been extended. "I can confirm she has reached out to her father," a rep for the duchess tells the outlet. The BBC notes it's not clear if the two actually connected. The outlet adds that it's not thought that Thomas Markle has ever met Harry or the couple's two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.