Meghan's Public Visit to Uvalde Amid Dad's Stroke Sparks Debate

Meghan Markle's visit to Uvalde, Texas following a shooting at Robb Elementary School which saw 19 children and two teachers killed, has been criticized online as the royal has yet to publicly visit her father Thomas Markle since he reportedly experienced a stroke earlier this week.

According to reports, Markle "suffered a major stroke that has seen him lose his speech," on May 24 and was taken to a hospital in Tijuana near his home in Mexico. He was later taken to a California hospital.

He had been scheduled to travel to Britain next week for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebrations, where he was expected to give television interviews.

Meghan's half-sister, Samantha, from Thomas Markle's first marriage, took aim at the duchess in a statement regarding her father's health per the Daily Mail:

"My father is recovering in hospital. We ask for privacy for the family, for his health and wellbeing," she said.

"He just needs peace and rest. Godspeed. We are praying. He just needs some rest. It's a travesty how much he's been tortured and how much he's had to go through thanks to my sister's disregard the past few years. That is unforgivable."

Meghan has had an estranged relationship with her father since he was identified as having collaborated with a paparazzi photographer in the weeks before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.

Markle, who was due to walk his daughter down the aisle, did not travel to Britain for the wedding saying that he suffered two heart attacks before he was due to fly. This latest health crisis comes again just days before another planned U.K trip.

Since the events surrounding the royal wedding, Markle has made comments in the press regarding his daughter including releasing a private letter written by Meghan which was later published by the Mail on Sunday.

Most recently Markle started a YouTube channel speaking about his daughter and the royal family with press photographer Karl Larson. Father and daughter have reportedly not spoken to each other since 2018.

Meghan's appearance at Uvalde visiting a memorial to victims and blood drive at a local community center provoked commentary online as to whether the royal was using the tragic event as a PR stunt and that she should instead be with her father.

Broadcaster Britt McHenry took to Twitter to post:

"I mean...was it really necessary to use a mass shooting tragedy as a PR photo op? Meghan Markle's own father is also reportedly in the hospital. She could maybe see him too....without cameras..."

Veteran reality television star, Sharon Osbourne also commented, saying on the British television show The Talk: "When I saw the picture I did say, 'what about her father,'" later adding that "it's a great publicity shot."

Ayesha Hazarikia came to the duchess' defense against Osbourne and co-host Jeremy Kyle, saying: "I don't see what's wrong [with going to the memorial]."

To which Kyle responded, "Nothing, that's great but wouldn't you go and see your own father?"

"Not if I hated him," she replied.

Ultimately Osbourne, who was herself estranged from her own father for many years, concluded that the royal should go to visit Markle and move past previous upsets.

"The thing is, it would be better for her to go to get whatever hostilities she has about her father, to get it out and put it all to rest," she said.

A spokesperson for Meghan announced after the royal's visit to Uvalde that she did so in "a personal capacity as a mother" going to offer "condolences and support in-person to a community experiencing unimaginable grief," The Independent reported.

In the latest update on Markle's health, Meghan's half-sister, who is suing the duchess in a libel case over claims made in a royal briefing published as part of another legal dispute, told GB News:

"He's doing better, he's in good spirits," but that: "it's going to take several, maybe six months, maybe a year to get his speech back...The stroke was in the right side of the brain so the damage was on the left and he's left-handed but it also impaired his speech and his ability to swallow."