MEGHAN Markle’s estranged dad has sparked a new romance with his Filipino nurse who is 35 years younger than him – after a health scare landed him in hospital.
Thomas Markle, 81, has endured a difficult few years after his daughter allegedly dumped him after her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry and a leg amputation nearly cost him his life.
But the retired Hollywood lighting director says he is overjoyed by a blossoming relationship with Rio Canedo, 46, whom he met while recovering from life-saving surgery in the Philippines.
Brushing off critics, Markle insists that “haters will hate” but that his newfound love is powerful enough to drown out the noise.
Markle, who has never met son-in-law Prince Harry or his grandchildren, told the Daily Mail that Rio has brought him “peace and happiness” after years of being “sad and neglected”.
Meghan, 44, who is only two years younger than Rio, has been estranged from her father after he suffered two heart attacks on the eve of her 2018 wedding, rendering him unable to walk her down the aisle.
The 81-year-old’s latest medical episode was caused by a blood clot that cut off the supply of blood to his foot.
His miraculous recovery came after four days in intensive care followed by a lengthy spell in the hospital and a specialised rehabilitation unit.
Meghan reportedly ignored her dad in the days following his leg amputation, but eventually sent him a letter.
Thomas Markle Jr. implored the Sussexes to reach out to his dad after he was admitted.
The concerned son shared at the time how his father is “heavily medicated” and “hooked up to all kinds of machines”.
Markle has suffered with ill health, including a stroke, in recent years and had been living in Mexico for the past 10 years before relocating to the Philippines in January.
After being bedridden ahead of Meghan’s big wedding, it was revealed that he had posed for paparazzi pictures ahead of the ceremony.
Meghan then cut him off after he put the phone down during a heated row with Harry while recovering in hospital.
Instead, Prince Charles stepped in to walk Meghan down the aisle to the altar, while her dad watched from a £23-a-night Airbnb.
Concerns were also raised for 81-year-old Thomas last year when his daughter Samantha claimed he was stuck on the 19th floor of his Philippines flat after a deadly earthquake.
However, Thomas bizarrely later declared he was “fine” and urged people not to worry.
Thomas suffered a stroke in 2022 that left him requiring therapy to speak.
Although he split from her mum Doria when she was just three years old, Meghan had always enjoyed a close relationship with her dad while growing up in California.
She lived with him between the ages of 11 and 18 while her mum travelled the world, and even in 2014 she called him “thoughtful, inspiring, hardworking” in a social media post.
Markle’s rift with his royal daughter came after news that a series of paparazzi snaps, which showed him getting fitted for a suit and reading about his daughter in the news, were in fact staged.
It was hugely embarrassing to the Royal Family – and also went directly against Harry and Meghan’s advice to Thomas.
Speaking of the incident on a Channel 5 documentary, Thomas said he had staged the photos in a bid to improve his image.
Claiming to have been approached by a man claiming to be a PR expert, he said: “He told me ‘they are going to love it and they are going to love you’.
Speaking to GMB, he added: “They would take pictures of me grabbing a beer, taking the garbage out, buying a toilet and making a big deal of it.
“I thought this would be a nice way of improving my look. But that was a mistake.”
At the time, however, he was telling Harry and Meghan a different story – claiming he was just being “measured for a hoodie” when they asked about the photos.
Recalling the controversy on their 2022 Netflix documentary, she said she confront her father on the phone over staging the pictures, which he denied.
She added: “It felt really cagey… and when we hung up, I looked at H[arry]. I was like, ‘I don’t know why, but I don’t believe him.’”
But there was no hiding the truth – and a row between Thomas and his new son-in-law while he lay in hospital recovering from the heart attack would prove to be the final straw.
So heated was the call, during which Harry allegedly berated him for cooperating with the paparazzi, that Thomas ended up putting down the phone.
Meghan’s dad has remained close with her half-siblings, with Thomas Jr. acting as his carer after he made the move to the Philippines in January this year.
He moved to a £500-a-month high-rise apartment on the island of Cebu for reasons of privacy and to avoid reminders of his estrangement with his daughter.
Megxit timeline
- November 2016 – Harry formally reveals he is in a relationship with Suits actress Meghan Markle.
- September 2017 – Meghan tells Vanity Fair the couple are in love and happy together.
- September 2017 – The couple make their first public appearance together holding hands at the Invictus Games in Toronto.
- November 2017 – Prince Charles issues a statement revealing Harry and Meghan are engaged.
- May 2018 – Harry and Meghan tie the knot, becoming Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
- October 2018 – The couple announce they are expecting their first child while on their first overseas tour in Australia.
- March 2019 – Harry and Meghan set up their own household, splitting their joint operation with Prince William and Kate.
- May 2019 – Meghan gives birth to a baby boy named Archie.
- October 2019 – Harry reveals his rift with his brother William in a bombshell documentary.
- January 2020 – The couple stun the Queen by announcing plans to quit senior roles and settle in North America. After ten days of talks at Sandringham, it’s agreed the couple will no longer be working royals and will give up their “Royal Highness” titles.
- March 2020 – Harry and Meghan carry out their last official engagement and move to California.
- September 2020 – Netflix announces a huge deal with the couple.
- February 2021 – Buckingham Palace announces the couple’s split as working members of the monarchy is permanent and they will lose their royal patronages.
- March 2021 – The palace says it is “very concerned” about allegations of bullying made by former staff of Harry and Meghan, launching a probe.
- March 2021 – Meghan tells Oprah Winfrey Archie wasn’t made a prince after “concerns and conversations” about “how dark” his skin would be when he was born. She claims Kate “hurt her feelings” and made her cry before her wedding. Harry says Charles has stopped taking his calls and he has been “cut off” financially.
- January 2023 – Harry publishes his tell-all memoir Spare, launching scathing attacks on William, Kate and Camilla. He says he and William once got into a physical fight over Meghan.
- April 2023 – Harry has a “heart-to-heart” talk with his dad before agreeing to come to the Coronation in London.
- September 2023 – Harry rejects an offer to spend the anniversary of the Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father.
- February 2024 – Prince Harry flies to the UK to be with his father as royal experts claim their four-year rift could be put aside. They meet for half an hour before Harry flies home. He does not meet William
