Meghan Markle has managed to get a letter to her father, Thomas Markle, following his emergency surgery after several days of claim and counterclaim about her ability to contact him, PEOPLE confirms.

A note has been delivered to the 81-year-old in the hospital in the Philippines due to “the support of reliable and trusted” people, a representative for the Duchess of Sussex, 44, said on Dec. 10.

Thomas — from whom Meghan has been estranged since 2018 — has been recovering in a hospital after undergoing a lower leg amputation on Dec. 3. On Dec. 9, it emerged that Meghan had been trying to get correspondence to him after earlier attempts were reportedly not received. Her spokesperson confirmed early on Dec. 10 that she has now been successful.

The spokesman said in a statement, “With the support of reliable and trusted contacts, her correspondence is now safely in his hands.”

Meghan Markle in October 2024.Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty

Meghan emailed her father on Friday Dec. 5, as news spread of his operation. She had kept that reach out private, but after The Mail on Sunday reported on Dec. 6 that Thomas was “confused” by the claims and said that he had not received anything from Meghan, those close to her made her attempts public.

In her efforts to contact her father, PEOPLE understands Meghan had personally called several hospitals in an effort to locate him. The duchess’ team has also sought clarification from those close to Thomas regarding the best way of contacting him as he recovers.

The journalist in contact with Thomas had previously said that he was not currently in possession of his phone, and the Duchess of Sussex does not have a working phone number for him.

The question of access to Thomas has been further shaped by the unusual role of a Daily Mail journalist who has remained at his bedside.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Meghan said: “Given that a Daily Mail reporter has remained at her father’s bedside throughout, broadcasting each interaction and breaching clear ethical boundaries, it has been exceedingly difficult for the Duchess to contact her father privately, despite her efforts over the past several days.”

Caroline Graham has been with Thomas since last week. On Dec. 6, she described their atypically close relationship, saying, “We speak most days and I consider him something of a father figure. He is a rock-solid friend who helped me through the deaths of my mother and brother.”

Graham also revealed that she had received a text message from Thomas alerting her to his impending surgery. “He had chosen to break the news of the amputation to me before his own family,” she wrote, adding that she then made the 22-hour journey from her home in Los Angeles to his hospital bedside in the Philippines.

Thomas Markle in Los Angeles in March 2023.LionsShareNews / BACKGRID

PEOPLE has reached out to the Daily Mail for comment. In a statement to the BBC on Dec. 10, a spokesperson for the Daily Mail’s parent company, DMG Media, confirmed that Graham “has had a close relationship with Mr Markle since 2018.” They said Thomas “contacted Ms Graham when he was taken ill and asked her to travel to the Philippines to be with him”.

“Ms Graham has made clear that if she can do anything to facilitate contact between Mr Markle and his daughter to have a conversation, then she would be happy to do so,” they added. “That remains the case.”

Thomas’ operation follows several years of reported medical challenges, including a stroke in 2022.

Meghan Markle.Craig Barritt/Getty

Meghan has been estranged from her father since shortly before her May 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. She talked about the issue during her and Harry’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, saying she felt the relationship had been irrevocably damaged, and adding at the time, “I’ve lost my father.”