Meghan Markle's father has found love with a Filipino woman just two years older than his daughter, and the couple could even be set to tie the knot soon.
Thomas Markle, 81, met Rio Canedo, a 46-year-old divorced mother of two, at a rehab hospital in Cebu City in the Philippines after his life-saving operation.
Mr Markle had his leg amputated below the knee in December after a blood clot cut off circulation in his leg, turning his foot black.
The emergency surgery came just months after he moved to the Philippines because he was "constantly reminded" of his daughter and was in search of a "quieter life".
But the 81-year-old returned to the US earlier this month as he aims to be fitted with an advanced prosthetic limb that could enable him to walk once more and to move closer to his family.
Ms Canedo is said to have travelled with Mr Markle to the airport to wish him well on his way.
Since his return, the pair have been video-calling on an almost daily basis.
Two months ago, he revealed he was "blessed and beyond happy" to have found happiness with his new partner, following his recent health and family anguish.
Meghan Markle's father has found love with a Filipino woman just two years older than his daughter, and the couple could even be set to tie the knot soon
| GETTY/GB NEWSHe has been estranged from his daughter Meghan since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He had planned to walk her down the aisle, but due to two heart attacks on the eve of the royal wedding, he was unable to do so, leaving the duty to her father-in-law, King Charles.
The Duchess of Sussex reportedly suggested he was motivated by a desire for media attention.
But Mr Markle has continuously denied this, and now attributes his newfound joy to Ms Canedo.
"What happened with Rio happened naturally," he previously said. "We got close and she ended up moving in with me.
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Thomas Markle has been estranged from his daughter Meghan since her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry
|PA
Thomas Markle has returned to the US following his stint in the Philippines
| ITV"It’s a relationship I treasure. She makes me very happy and takes very good care of me. I hope I make her happy too."
One source told the Express: "Thomas told me he’d marry her in a heartbeat and he’s telling the rest of the family he’s happier than he could ever have imagined at the thought of spending the rest of his life with Rio."
However, they added that, with his partner still living in the Philippines and yet to visit the former Hollywood lighting director back in the United States, "there’s a way to go before we hear wedding bells".
"But from everything he’s been saying, the sound of those bells is very much on his mind and it’s pretty clear she loves him to bits too."
Mr Markle is presently completing several months of recovery in the United States, but while his return has continued to aid his recovery in his health, it has not resulted in a reconciliation with his daughter, Meghan.
He previously stated: "I still don’t know why she ghosted me."
Not only has he not been introduced to his son-in-law, Harry, but he is yet to meet either of his grandchildren, Archie, seven, or Lilibet, four.