Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, has set up an online fundraising page to seek help with medical expenses following his recent health ordeal, it has emerged. Mr Markle, 81, had his leg amputated in previous weeks following a “life or death” operation after an illness at his home in the Philippines.

He is now seeking help from fans online to cover costs for his treatment, as his health insurance will not cover it. His son, Thomas Markle Jr.’s friend, Sally Preston, set up the GoFundMe page on December 7 to raise money to help cover the costs and his recovery, with an initial set target of nearly £4,500 ($6,000).

At the time of writing, the page had managed to raise nearly £3,700 ($5,000).

A description on the page read: “Thomas Markle Sr has recently undergone emergency surgery resulting in the amputation of one of his legs.

“This devastating operation was not planned — it was a life-saving measure after a sudden medical crisis. Thomas is now facing a long, difficult recovery with significant medical and care expenses.”

Mr Markle’s son spoke to the Mirror about his father’s ordeal, saying: “People are chipping away at it and every little bit helps.

“Thank God it didn’t happen in the United States without insurance. It’d be hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. Over here, it’s probably going to be close to 20 grand. I almost wasn’t joking about selling a kidney the other day.”

He added: “My father doesn’t have insurance here. He’s not covered. This is all out of pocket and it hasn’t been cheap.

“My father has Medicare, Medicaid in the States. Not here, not covered here. So, it’s just, it’s been out of pocket. I’ve given pretty much everything I had in reserve to cover bills.”

The Duchess of Sussex has been estranged from her father since her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018.

During her father's hospitalisation, she was thought to have reached out to him after years not speaking to each other.