Meghan contacts estranged father

The Duchess of Sussex has been able to contact her estranged father in hospital via a letter, her spokesperson has confirmed.

Thomas Markle, who according to reports has had his left leg amputated while in the Philippines, had said he did not want to die while distanced from his daughter. Mr Markle also expressed his desire to meet his two grandchildren and Prince Harry.

Meghan has been estranged from her father since her 2018 wedding when he was caught staging paparazzi photos in the run-up to the event. In a statement, her spokesperson appeared to criticise her father's ongoing relationship with tabloids and the media.

The duchess's spokesperson said: "Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father's bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, 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." It is understood the royal contacted reporters at the Mail to provide any means of contacting her father - as well as the name of the hospital he is staying at but is said to have not received a response.

She is understood to have called several hospitals in the country but was unable to locate her father. Read more from Sky News:Australian PM issues warning over under-16s social media banUS plans to start checking all tourists' social media Her latest statement comes after The Mail On Sunday appeared to refute a statement from Meghan's spokesperson last Friday that she had "reached out" to her father.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Daily Mail's parent company DMG Media said the journalist in question and Mr Markle had a "close relationship" since 2018 and it was Mr Markle who contacted them when he was taken ill and asked for them to travel to the Philippines to be with him. "Nothing has been published without his specific consent, and that of his son," they said, adding that the journalist "confirmed to the Duchess of Sussex's representative that Mr Markle does not have an active email address but that his phone number, which the duchess has previously used for him, remains unchanged".

They said the reporter has "made clear that if she can do anything to facilitate contact between Mr Markle and his daughter to have a conversation, then she would be happy to do so". "Any suggestion we have 'puppeteered' Mr Markle is entirely false and strongly denied," the spokesperson added.

The Duchess of Sussex gave up her HRH (Her Royal Highness) title along with husband Prince Harry when they stepped down as senior royals in March 2020..