Meghan Markle has reached out to her father, Thomas Markle, following reports that he underwent surgery to amputate his left leg and is currently in intensive care.

“I can confirm she has reached out to her father,” a spokesperson for the Duchess of Sussex tells PEOPLE.

The update comes after Thomas’s son, Thomas Markle Jr., told the Daily Mail that the 81-year-old had his leg amputated below the knee on Dec. 3 in the Philippines — where the pair have been living since earlier this year — after a blood clot in his thigh reportedly cut off circulation. He described the emergency procedure as “life or death,” saying his father’s foot had turned “blue then black” before doctors determined amputation was necessary.

While Meghan’s spokesperson did not provide further details, a source notes that the outreach from Meghan is very recent, following the reports of her father’s medical emergency.

PEOPLE has reached out to Thomas Markle Jr. for comment.

Thomas Markle in Mexico on March 13, 2024

Thomas Markle in Mexico in March 2024.BACKGRID

Thomas Jr. told the Daily Mail that his father remains in an intensive care ward and that “the next two or three days are critical” as doctors monitor for possible infection.

Thomas’s health crisis follows several years of reported medical challenges, including a stroke in 2022. Meghan, 44, has been estranged from her father since shortly before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. The rift began after Thomas admitted to staging paparazzi photos and, according to Meghan, was not truthful with her about his communications with the press.

A frail looking Thomas Markle is mum on his daughter, Meghan Markle as he seen in a wheel chair as he catches a flight out of Los Angles with his son, Thomas Jr. on Tuesday.

Thomas Markle in March 2023.LionsShareNews / BACKGRID

In her 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said she felt the relationship had been irrevocably damaged. “I’ve lost my father,” she said at the time. In the couple’s Netflix docuseries the following year, Harry said he “shouldered” some of the blame for the fallout. “She had a father before this and now she doesn’t have a father,” he said, adding, “If Meg wasn’t with me, then her dad would still be her dad.”

(L to R) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan Sussex, Tom Colicchio in With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in ‘With Love: Meghan: Holiday Celebration’.Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

The news also arrives the same week Meghan’s latest Netflix special, With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration, debuted, spotlighting her family’s celebrations and traditions in Montecito with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, 6 and Princess Lilibet, 4.