Meghan Markle’s father suffers stroke, sister blames Duchess of Sussex

Thomas Markle, who is Meghan Markle’s father, has been hospitalised after suffering a stroke which has impacted his speech.

According to Daily Mail, the 77-year-old former TV lighting director was rushed to a US hospital on Monday 23 May, a week before he had been due to fly to London for the first time for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Although Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha, says he is recovering, she blames the Duchess of Sussex for the stroke.

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THOMAS MARKLE SUFFERS A STROKE

The publication reports that Markle, who lives in Mexico, was taken by ambulance across the border on Monday night. He was later taken to a clinic in Chula Vista, California – only a few hours’ drive from Meghan and Harry’s home in Montecito.

Speaking to the outlet, Markle’s eldest daughter, Samantha, 57, said that her father was recovering and he needs some rest.

“My father is recovering in hospital. We ask for privacy for the family, for his health and wellbeing. He just needs peace and rest. Godspeed. We are praying. He just needs some rest,” she said.

THOMAS MARKLE’S HEALTH

Markle’s health has been of great concern as his blood pressure was high a few weeks leading up to the stroke, Daily Mail reports.

In 2018, TMZ reported that Markle (who is also a YouTuber) suffered two heart attacks before the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding to Prince Harry, which he did not attend.

At the time, Markle had told TMZ that he had been experiencing chest pains and they were triggered by emotional distress caused by his daughter Samantha who was always on Meghan’s case.

“I’ve been popping Valium for the pain, especially when I hear about my oldest daughter,” he had said in 2018.

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MEGHAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER FAMILY

The Markles have been estranged from the Duchess of Sussex for years. Meghan’s strained relationship with her father deepened after she welcomed son Archie in May 2019 and daughter Lilibet in June 2021, US Magazine reports.

Their relationship has become so rocky that Samantha is taking Meghan to court and their father vowed to testify against the Duchess of Sussex.

Markle made the vow on his YouTube channel in March 2022 after Samantha filed a defamation case against Meghan for some of the claims she made during her interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021.

Now, with Markle in hospital after due to a stroke, Samantha has blamed the former Suits actress for their father’s ill-health.

“It’s a travesty how much he’s been tortured and how much he’s had to go through thanks to my sister’s disregard the past few years. That is unforgivable,” she told Daily Mail on Tuesday 24 May.

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