The Sunday Mirror revealed Mr Markle’s move to the Phillipines and how he was living in a £500-a-month high-rise flat, where he was being cared for by his son, in May last year.
The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged dad has moved back to the US from the Philippines to be fitted with a state-of-the art prosthetic limb to help him walk again.
Thomas Markle, 81, has been in rehab since his left leg was amputated in a three-hour life-saving operation in December. He nearly died when a blood clot in his left thigh cut off the blood supply to his foot. The former Hollywood lighting director has now moved to an undisclosed location after leaving his home on the island of Cebu, where he moved last year to start a new life more than 7,000 miles away from Harry and Meghan.
His elder daughter, Samantha, Meghan’s half-sister, tonight said: “Dad made the decision to come back to the US for ongoing medical care. He will be able to get the best prosthetics here and be surrounded by friends and family to support him. Even though he has been through such traumatic times, this has been a positive spiritual experience for dad.”
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Thomas Snr has not spoken to Meghan since he said he suffered two heart attacks on the eve of her 2018 wedding and was unable to walk her down the aisle. As a result, he has he never met Prince Harry or his grandchildren Archie, six, and Lilibet, four.
After his latest operation, the Duchess’s representatives said she had “reached out” to her dad. Meghan, who has been estranged from him since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, sent a letter to his hospital bedside, which was delivered by US embassy officials.
But her half-brother Thomas Jnr, who previously said their father’s health insurance will not cover the cost of his care, claims Meghan, 44, has still not paid anything to help. Speaking in February, Thomas Jnr, 59, said: “He’s going through therapy. He’s going through physical rehab. We’re going to have to get him fitted for a prosthetic here pretty soon and get that man walking again. That’s the goal. That’s the priority.”
The Sunday Mirror revealed Mr Markle’s move to the Phillipines and how he was living in a £500-a-month high-rise flat, where he was being cared for by his son, in May last year. Our exclusive pictures included him sitting alone while resting in blistering heat outside a supermarket near his new home.
After having his left leg amputated below the knee in December, Mr Markle praised the “care and compassion” of the Filipino people, saying: “I would not be alive today were it not for the care I received from the wonderful doctors and nurses in the Philippines. They saved my life.”
He also told how he had found love with Filipino nurse Rio Canedo, 46, after he was moved from hospital into a rehab unit. Ms Canedo, a divorced mother of two, reportedly accompanied Mr Markle to the airport yesterday for an emotional farewell.
He has said they intend to keep in touch via Facetime and he hopes she will be able to visit him in the US soon. He credits Ms Canedo, who is just two years older than Meghan, with helping him lose weight and gain the will to walk again after his surgery.
He has also spoken about how he wants to reunited with Meghan before he dies. He told the Mail on Sunday: “The next stage is to get an electric wheelchair and then a prosthetic leg.”
