Royal Author Says Meghan Markle Could Visit Father Thomas in Hospital If She’s Actually ‘Compassionate’

TL;DR: 

• Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle, entered the hospital following a stroke in May 2022.
• A royal biographer says Meghan Markle could visit her father in the hospital if she’s really a “very compassionate person.” 
• Meghan Markle recounted what happened with her father in a 2021 Oprah interview.

A royal biographer has weighed in on whether or not Meghan Markle will visit her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in the hospital after a stroke. The former Hollywood lighting director experienced a stroke in May 2022. Now he’s reportedly receiving medical care within driving distance of the Duchess of Sussex’s Montecito home. With Meghan and Prince Harry’s upcoming trip to the U.K. for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee drawing nearer, it’s unclear whether or not Meghan will visit her father. According to the royal author, she will if she’s actually as “compassionate” as she says.  

Thomas Markle entered the hospital on May 23 following a stroke

A representative for Markle confirmed to Insider the 77-year-old was hospitalized on May 23, 2022, following a stroke. The representative said Markle traveled by ambulance from Tijuana, Mexico, to Chula Vista, California, where he was admitted to a local hospital after sharing concerns about the possibility of having a stroke with paramedics. 

Upon his arrival at the emergency room, Markle’s representative said he was unable to speak, leaving him to communicate his symptoms in writing.

Samantha Markle, Markle’s oldest daughter — and Meghan’s half-sister — spoke to the Daily Mail after the hospitalization. “My father is recovering in hospital. We ask for privacy for the family, for his health and wellbeing,” she said. “He just needs peace and rest. Godspeed. We are praying.

“He just needs some rest,” she added. “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.”

Prior to the hospitalization, Markle had a trip to England for the Platinum Jubilee planned. 

Royal biographer Tom Bower says Meghan Markle will give her father ‘comfort and reassurance’ if she’s really a ‘very compassionate person’

Will Meghan visit her father in the hospital? Tom Bower, who is writing a biography on the Duchess of Sussex, told the Daily Mail it’s unclear. “If we knew what she was going to do, that would be terrific,” he said.

However, if she’s really “very compassionate,” like she’s said, Bower explained, she’d offer her support. 

“What we do know is that Meghan has always said that she’s a very compassionate person,” he shared. “And if compassion was at all necessary right now, it would mean she would go to her father’s bedside, about two and a half hours’ drive south of where she lives, and give him some comfort and reassurance.” 

“We wait to see what happens,” he added, saying besides the letter Meghan wrote her father, there “hasn’t been any contact” since just before her 2018 royal wedding.

Meghan Markle opened up about the situation with her father in 2021

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview included major bombshells. In addition to talking about her own experience as a British royal, Meghan discussed her relationship with her father.

Meghan recalled to Oprah, per CBS News, how tabloids “descended” upon her father and the small town he lived in. Later, prior to her wedding, paparazzi photos of Markle were revealed to be staged. Ultimately, he didn’t walk Meghan down the aisle or attend the ceremony.  “The whole thing brings us to where we are today,” Meghan said.

“Did it feel like betrayal when you found out your father was working

with the tabloids?” Oprah asked. Meghan shared she explained to her father she could go to “the institution” and ask them to kill the story.

However, in doing so, she’d be using up a favor that may prevent protecting her kids in the future. She went on, telling Oprah her father said he wasn’t working with tabloids. 

“So, he basically lied to you,” Oprah replied, to which Meghan said his response stuck with her. 

“When I said we won’t be able to protect our own kids one day I said, ‘I just need you to tell me. And if you tell me the truth, we can help,’” Meghan said, adding he “wasn’t able to do that.”

“That for me has really resonated, especially now as a mother,” she concluded.