MANILA - Thomas Markle, the estranged father of Meghan Markle, is in the intensive care unit of a hospital in the Philippines after he underwent an emergency surgery.

Markle, who moved to Cebu with his son Thomas Jr, was reportedly gravely ill on Dec 2, which prompted the latter to rush him to a hospital.

“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,” Thomas Jr told British media outlet Daily Mail.

“They raced us by ambulance, with the sirens going, to a much bigger hospital in the center of the city. My dad has undergone emergency surgery,” he added.

Markle’s surgery took three hours, as per the outlet. His son further disclosed that the 81-year-old is set to undergo another procedure “to remove a blood clot”.

“His foot turned blue and then black. It happened very quickly. I took him to a local hospital and they did some scans and an ultrasound and said the leg had to be amputated,” Thomas Jr said. “There was no option. I was told the leg had to be removed and it was a case of life or death.

“I would ask everyone around the world to keep him in their thoughts.”

Markle has faced several health problems in recent years, including two heart attacks and a major stroke in 2022.

He also made headlines in October after he dismissed claims that he was left stranded following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu.

Markle and his daughter Meghan have been estranged since 2018, the year the Hollywood actress married Prince Harry, the son of Britain’s King Charles III and the late Princess Diana.

Markle and Thomas Jr reportedly moved to the Philippines last May. Philippine Daily Inquirer/ASIA NEWS NETWORK