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Thomas Markle, the Duchess of Sussex’s father, is in hospital after undergoing a ‘life or death’ surgery that resulted in his foot being amputated and is reportedly still not out of the woods

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Thomas Markle has issued a desperate plea to hear from his daughter, Meghan, after undergoing a “life or death” surgery. The 81-year-old made the plea from a hospital bed after having his left leg amputated below the knee. The surgery, which happened in a Philippines hospital on 3 December, was reportedly “life or death” as his foot was infected, and the infection could have reached the heart.

His doctor is said to have told press that Thomas is still not “out of the woods”. The Duchess of Sussex has apparently not been to see her father, nor is she thought to have called. Thomas issued a plea begging her to call him, and said: “I don’t want to die estranged”.

READ MORE: Prince Harry takes swipe at Royal Family with Downton Abbey ‘drama’ quipREAD MORE: Meghan Markle: Crucial timescale as dad fights for life after leg amputation

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Talking to the Mail On Sunday, he said he wanted to see his son-in-law Prince Harry, as well as his grandchildren “before it’s too late”. He added that he was “confused” by reports that Meghan had reached out and purposefully did not change his number when they fell out, so that she could always reach him.

His surgeon also spoke to the paper, with Thomas’ permission, and said: “‘It was life-or-death surgery. Had the infection in the foot moved to his heart, it would most likely have been fatal. He is doing well but he is not out of the woods yet.”

The Mail also confirmed with the hospital staff that Meghan had not called them to get through to her father. “If Meghan or anyone connected with her had called here we would have known.”

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However, a spokesperson for Meghan told the BBC that she had reached out to him upon hearing he had to have his leg amputated. Meghan and her father have been estranged since the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

They fell out after he was found to have colluded with paying photographers to appear in pictures that seemed to show the father and bride preparing for the wedding. Their fighting led to Thomas pulling out of the wedding, citing health problems. As such, Harry’s father, the now King Charles, walked Meghan down the aisle.

In the years since, he has been publicly critical of his daughter and son-in-law’s decision to step back from royal duties. In one interview with Channel 5, he said he felt they were “turning into lost souls” and that they were “cheapening” the royal family.

The Mirror reached out to the Duchess of Sussex for comment.

The Yorkshire Vet star Peter Wright has opened up on 10 years of the popular Channel 5 show and discussed the many emotional roller coasters over a decade of the series

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It has been 10 years since The Yorkshire Vet hit screens and won over two million viewers as three vets take on nail-biting rescue missions complete with northern charm. Fans of the Channel 5 show have been taken on many emotional roller coasters over a decade – including when horrified vet Peter Wright, 69, treated a bulldog injured while trying to have sex with a hedgehog.

Colleague Matt Jackson-Smith, 36, was given the grisly job of removing Gideon the goat’s testicles, while Julian Norton, 53, helped Gary the donkey with a huge cyst on his penis. All in a day’s work for the trio. The show originated at Skeldale Veterinary Centre in Thirsk, first made famous by James Herriot and All Creatures Great and Small.

Animal dignity – or lack of – aside, no one is more stunned that such jobs could amass a global audience than Peter. He says: “We were approached by a television production company to make a programme about a country vet in Yorkshire.

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“I thought, ‘Well, no’ and deleted the email. I didn’t even really look at it. A few weeks later they sent another and I read it this time and I still thought no – so I didn’t respond to that, either.”

But Peter trusted his instincts when he met the producers. He says: “I eventually agreed to let the managing director see us. He had an honest face, and he used the words ‘trust’ and ‘loyalty’ and he said he won’t let us down.

“I still thought it would be a flop. All these veterinary programmes had been done before, I said it’s old hat. I said to my wife Lin nobody will watch it.

“She reminded me they would not be interested in me, they would be interested in the patients. I don’t find myself interesting, and neither does my wife! Here we are 10 years and 250 episodes on being shown in 18 countries.” Peter has even been recognised at the Taj Mahal by Australian tourists.

He adds: “Every time I see the managing director, he rams it down my throat how wrong I was. It has been a success for a number of reasons. I think it’s our beautiful countryside in Yorkshire, and I think it is also we have a very dry local sense of humour and of course a welcoming, friendly nature.”

Peter is not the only star who can’t believe the show is still going after a decade, as the cast mark 22 series.

Matt, who joined the show five years ago, says: “At the start, I didn’t watch it, my grandma did, and she said that I should. It was a ­pinch-yourself moment. The ­audience could not have been more welcoming and it was the best decision I could have made.

“My wife and I were on ­honeymoon in Mauritius and there was a Yorkshire Vet fan. I do get, ‘I thought it was you!’ quite often. The show’s fans are incredible. We’re so fortunate.”

Of course the real stars are the animals, but what really sets this show apart is the Yorkshire scenery. Peter adds: “It was said Ben Frow, head of programmes at Channel 5, had a love affair with Yorkshire. He told me, ‘There would have been none of these programmes if ­Yorkshire Vet had failed’, including All Creatures Great and Small.

“That’s an earth-shattering statement. If we’d failed, it would have been the end of that love affair. We wouldn’t have all these wonderful programmes.”