Meghan says she was informed of disturbing allegations against father in 2018
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, says she was informed in 2018 of “disturbing allegations” against her estranged father, Thomas Markle, after a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection.
Her statement came after reports that child sexual abuse images were allegedly found among his belongings at his former home in Cebu, Philippines. Thomas Markle, 82, denies possessing any such material.
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me,” Meghan said. “It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”
She said she was “deeply distressed” by the latest reports and that her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed. She also said she kept her father away from her children to protect them and hoped justice would be served.
The claims were first reported by The Sun, which said Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, found what he described as hundreds, possibly thousands, of child sexual abuse images in four boxes at his father’s former Cebu home.
He alleged the material was mixed with family photographs, books, mobile phones and computer equipment, and said he reported it to Philippine police, the FBI hotline and authorities in Pennsylvania.
The allegations remain unproven. No charges have been announced, and Thomas Markle has not been arrested.
Philippine Justice Undersecretary Nicholas Ty confirmed that the country’s anti-trafficking and online child sexual exploitation task force in Cebu is investigating the matter.
Interior Minister Jonvic Remulla told the BBC that police had secured Thomas Markle’s computer for a comprehensive digital forensic examination, with results expected within a week.
Thomas Markle dismissed the allegations as “sick lies,” telling the Daily Mail: “I have never downloaded anything like that in my life.”
His daughter Samantha also denied the allegations and accused her brother of making up stories for money, according to reports.
Meghan and her father became estranged before her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, after Thomas Markle was found to have staged photographs with paparazzi and later withdrew from the ceremony, citing health problems.
The latest allegations add a new and deeply troubling dimension to the long-running family rift, though investigators have yet to establish whether any crime occurred.
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