Meghan Markle's newest Netflix holiday special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, is drawing widespread attention for its upbeat tone, even as her estranged father, Thomas Markle, remains in intensive care following emergency surgery in the Philippines. The Duchess of Sussex focused her programme on family traditions and festive rituals with Prince Harry and their children, while her father's hospitalization has renewed public scrutiny of long-standing family tensions.
In the special, Meghan recounts her introduction to the British custom of pulling Christmas crackers, telling viewers, "Typically, people cross arms and do it... yeah, so they sit around the table and they all pull at the same time. It actually does feel really connected and sweet." She added that she grew to understand the family better through the tradition, noting, "The way that I really started to know them - they would always have almost a fortune cookie-size joke or riddle, and something sweet." She also encouraged audiences to make December meaningful but warned, "Don't feel like you have to do it all."
Filmed ahead of the holiday season, the programme highlights her plans to celebrate with Prince Harry, Prince Archie, Princess Lilibet and close friends. Meanwhile, 81-year-old Thomas Markle was transported to a hospital on Tuesday after suffering a severe medical episode. The Daily Mail reported he underwent approximately three hours of surgery before being placed in the intensive care unit and later required a second procedure to remove a blood clot.
Thomas Markle Jr., who accompanied his father to the hospital, told reporters he had first taken him for scans at a smaller facility before doctors determined urgent intervention was required. "The doctors said his life was in imminent danger," he said, describing the ambulance transfer to a larger hospital where emergency surgery took place. He appealed for prayers and global support as his father continues treatment.
Meghan's older sister, Samantha Markle, also expressed concern, telling MailOnline: "He is a strong man, but he has been through so much. I am praying that he is strong enough to survive this."
Thomas Markle Sr.'s health has been fragile for years. He suffered two heart attacks shortly before Meghan's 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, circumstances that led King Charles III to walk her down the aisle at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. Despite years passing, Thomas Sr. has never met his son-in-law or his two grandchildren in person, and the estrangement between Meghan and her father has remained unresolved.
In remarks directed at his sister, Thomas Markle Jr. urged Meghan to reconsider the rift in light of their father's condition. "I would ask Meg, on a week when she has released a TV show talking about the power of love and family, to reach out to our dad. She needs to start showing the compassion she preaches about," he said, emphasizing the contrast between the special's themes and the family's ongoing divide.
