Meghan Markle and her dad Thomas are estranged. Photo: Handout
Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, has denied claims made by his daughter Samantha Markle that he was left stranded and immobile in the Philippines following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu Province.
Thomas, who relocated to Cebu earlier this year, told TMZ he is safe inside his hotel and was never in danger.
“I’m safe in my hotel room, and in no way am I ‘trapped’ and ‘unable to walk,'” Thomas said. “The epicenter was 100 miles from here. I’m currently sitting on the couch in my hotel room, with my feet kicked up and watching Charlie Chan movies. I’m quite comfortable.”
Thomas’ statement came following Samantha’s post on X, claiming that her 80-year-old father was “stuck on the 19th floor of a building in the Philippines after a massive earthquake and can’t walk.”
Thomas noted that he has not spoken to Samantha and is unsure why she made such claims, as he also confirmed that his estrangement from Meghan remains unchanged.
Samantha is Thomas’s daughter from his first marriage. Meghan previously said that she did not have a close relationship with her older half-sister as they did not grow up together.
Samantha’s first post also threw jabs at Meghan as she blamed her sister for being the reason why their father was trapped in the Philippines.
"Shame on my disgusting evil (expletive) sister for forever putting our father in this position. I hope she is cursed,” she said.
Samantha later set her X account to private after netizens pointed out that the screenshot of the conversations supposedly talking with her father about the earthquake was taken on Sept 28 when the calamity struck on Sept 30.
Thomas, a retired TV lighting director, has faced several health problems in recent years. In May 2022, he suffered a major stroke that left him hospitalised. He moved to Cebu this year with his 58-year-old son, Thomas Jr.
The earthquake struck off the coast of Bogo, Cebu, on Tuesday night, killing at least 69 people. Search and rescue operations are still ongoing. – Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network
