By Molly Claire Goddard
9:53am PST, Dec 22, 2025
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After having his leg amputated in the Philippines, Thomas Markle Sr. is hoping donations through a GoFundMe page can cover the procedure. The former lighting director's son Thomas Jr.'s friend Sally Preston created the account that has now reached $4,500 in donations.
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Thomas Markle Jr. emphasized how little money Thomas Markle Sr. has. "People are chipping away at it, and every little bit helps," he told
The Mirror. "Thank god it didn't happen in the United States without insurance. It'd be hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over here, it's probably going to be close to 20 grand. I almost wasn't joking about selling a kidney the other day. My father doesn't have insurance here [in the Philippines]. He's not covered. This is all out of pocket, and it hasn't been cheap. My father has Medicare, Medicaid in the States. Not here, not covered here. It's been out of pocket. I've given pretty much everything I had in reserve to cover bills."
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According to Thomas Markle Jr., Meghan Markle hasn't pitched in despite being worth an estimated $60 million. "It would have been nice to walk into the hospital and not have to pay any more bills and scramble to get the money from here, from there, wherever," the Duchess of Sussex's estranged half-brother said. "That would have been nice the other day when I had to go in there and pay another $3,000 and then sign a promissory note for another $2,000."
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Although Meghan Markle and Thomas Markle Sr. have been estranged since 2018, Thomas Markle Jr. feels she should assist her family. "The one person who has the means to actually help and make a difference…no, nope, nothing," he said. "Even after the half million that my dad [paid] for her clothes, her partying money, her partying supplies, her cars, her entertainment, her private schools, her trips, her college."
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Thomas Markle Sr. fell out with Meghan Markle after he began selling stories about her to the press in the lead-up to her wedding to
Prince Harry. However, following the 81-year-old's life-threatening procedure, the
Suits star's representative confirmed she wrote her dad a note.
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Thomas Markle Sr. refuted the claim Meghan Markle tried to contact him. "Of course, I want to speak to her, but I am not sure if these are the right circumstances," he told
Caroline Graham in an interview with
The Mail on Sunday. "I've always said I am open to reconciling with my daughter. I have never stopped loving her. I don't want to die estranged from Meghan. I want to meet my [two] grandkids. It might be nice to meet her husband [
Prince Harry], too."
