Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has said she is “deeply distressed” by allegations of child sexual abuse material involving her estranged father, Thomas Markle, as authorities in the Philippines and the United States investigate the claims.
Thomas, 82, denies the allegations, according to reports by the BBC, The Sun and People.
The allegations were first reported by The Sun on Oct 22, after Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, claimed he discovered material containing child sexual abuse at their father’s former home in Cebu, the Philippines.
Thomas Jr told the publication that he allegedly found four large boxes containing “hundreds, if not thousands” of images depicting child sexual abuse. He also claimed to have discovered videos involving girls aged around 10 or 11, as well as a 15-minute video showing naked girls on his father’s old phone.
Thomas told the Daily Mail on Oct 23 that he could never do what he was accused of doing. He said he was shocked, hurt and deeply upset by his son’s allegations.
A Philippine Department of Justice official told the BBC that a task force investigating human trafficking and child sexual exploitation in Cebu was looking into the case.
The country’s Interior Minister said police had secured Thomas’ computer for forensic examination, with the results expected within about a week.
The FBI said it was aware of the allegations and would support Philippine authorities. It added that it would investigate any related allegations of federal violations of US law.
London’s Metropolitan Police Service is not investigating Thomas himself. However, the force is conducting an internal inquiry into whether its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit passed on a 2018 letter containing allegations about him, the BBC reported.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when asked whether King Charles III knew about the letter, telling People that the matter was for the Sussexes.
In a statement shared with The Sun and People, Meghan said her thoughts were with any children who might have been harmed.
She revealed that a letter containing “troubling and disturbing” allegations about her father had been sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018. The letter was subsequently shared with her, and she was assured the allegations were being investigated.
Meghan said her decision to remain estranged from her father and prevent him from having contact with her children was intended to protect them.
“I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason: to protect them,” she said.
She added that she trusted authorities were taking similar steps to protect other families.
“The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine,” Meghan said, reiterating that the safety and protection of innocent children remained her priority.
Meghan and her father have been estranged since the period leading up to her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry.
According to the BBC, Thomas was found to have accepted payment from photographers to stage pictures of himself preparing for the wedding. He later withdrew from the ceremony, citing health problems, and Meghan was accompanied down the aisle by the then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.
The Sun reported that Meghan received the letter after the wedding. Sources close to the Sussexes said she could not speak publicly about it at the time because doing so might jeopardise a future investigation.
Thomas moved to the Philippines in 2025 after suffering a series of strokes, according to the BBC. However, he is reportedly now living in a rehabilitation centre in Florida after having a leg amputated in December 2025.
Investigations into the allegations are ongoing, and no findings of guilt have been established.
