Meghan Markle’s Estranged Father Thomas Markle Has Leg Amputated In ‘Life or Death’ Surgery

Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, is recovering in the hospital after undergoing a three-hour emergency surgery that resulted in the amputation of his left leg below the knee.

According to The Daily Mail, which spoke with members of the family and doctors in the Philippines, the 81-year-old faced a life-or-death situation after a blood clot cut off circulation.

His son, Thomas Markle Jr., confirmed the frightening ordeal and said things escalated fast. “My dad is being very brave. His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly,” he told the outlet. After rushing him to a local hospital, scans revealed the leg couldn’t be saved. “There was no option,” he explained. “It was either ‘we have to operate now and remove the leg or he may die.’ It was a life-threatening situation.”

Once transferred by ambulance to a larger hospital in Cebu, Thomas Sr. was taken straight into surgery, where doctors worked for three hours to amputate the limb. He is expected to undergo an additional operation to remove a blood clot in his left thigh, and while he is currently stable, the next few days remain critical.