Thomas Markle has broken his silence following a harrowing "life or death" operation that saw the 81-year-old choose to save his life by losing his leg in emergency surgery late last year. Speaking from his new home in the Philippines, Meghan's estranged father has provided an update on his recovery after he lost his leg in early December.

Following the gruelling three-hour "life or death" operation that ended in him losing a leg, that resulted in a leg amputation, Meghan Markle’s father is sharing an update on his recovery from his new home in the Philippines.

Despite the ongoing royal rift and conflicting reports about "desperate" phone calls and delivered letters, Mr Markle says he is "adjusting slowly" and remains hopeful for a reconciliation with his daughter and the grandchildren he has never met.

The gruelling three-hour procedure was just the latest in a string of medical tragedies for Mr Markle, who has previously survived two heart attacks and a debilitating stroke.

Despite suffering greatly in recent months, Mr Markle celebrated his progress by sharing a lunch with hospital staff.

"I’m being very well taken care of, and I am grateful for all the wonderful care I am getting," he told The Mail on Sunday. "I am adjusting slowly and doing a lot of physiotherapy. I am feeling very happy and am making good progress. I have a long way to go but am getting used to my new circumstances."

Despite initial claims that Meghan had failed to contact her father about his leg operation, it has now emerged that she desperately called round local hospitals to try and find out more details about her estranged father's health. Her spokesperson then confirmed she had "reached out" by delivering a letter to her dad. But the mystery deepened when Mr Markle claimed he was "confused" by reports that his youngest child had tried to get in touch with him.

Her spokesperson later released a blistering statement in an attempt to clarify the conflicting reports. It read: "It has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days. With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands."

Despite Mr Markle and Meghan's mum Doria breaking up when Meghan was just three-years-old, Meghan always had a close relationship with her father while growing up in California. She lived with Mr Markle between the ages of 11 and 18 while her mum travelled, and even called him "thoughtful, inspiring, hardworking" in a 2014 social media post.

But her mother, Doria, blasted her ex for his actions of staging the photos and talking to the press, saying in the Sussex's documentary that she was "absolutely stunned" by his behaviour, adding that "as a parent, that's not what you do. That's not parenting."

Mr Markle did not stay quiet over the years that followed about his daughter, repeatedly taking part in further interviews about her. He dubbed their exit from royal life the "dumbest thing they could have done", and due to the estrangement, has never met his grandchildren, Prince Archie, six, and Princess Lilibet, four.

But despite the ongoing turmoil, Mr Markle has said he will love his daughter forever. Appearing on Good Morning Britain back in September, he claimed: "I've always been here for her, I love her, I'll love her forever. I want her to reach out to me and let me see my grandkids and let me have a little peace. It's been five years."