The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, has said she was informed about “disturbing allegations” against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, in 2018, after a letter containing the claims was sent to the Metropolitan Police in London.According to the BBC, Meghan said the letter was subsequently shared with her and that she was assured the allegations were being investigated. Her statement comes after reports that child sexual abuse images were allegedly found at her father’s former home in the Philippines.Thomas Markle has denied possessing such images, calling the accusations “sick lies” in an interview with the Daily Mail.“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” Meghan said in a statement issued through her spokesperson.She said the 2018 letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit. It contained allegations against her father, and she was assured that they were being investigated.Meghan also sought to explain her decision to remain estranged from her father and not allow him to meet her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.“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.“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families,” she added.Describing the latest developments as deeply disturbing, Meghan said her hope was that justice would be served and that the safety and protection of children would remain the priority.What are the allegations against Thomas Markle?The Sun newspaper first reported the allegations, citing claims by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, who allegedly told detectives in the Philippines that he had discovered a large collection of child sexual abuse images at their father’s former home in Cebu.According to the report, Markle Jr claimed he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of images on computers and mobile phones kept in four large boxes at the property. He also reportedly contacted the FBI in the United States.Thomas Markle Sr, however, has strongly denied the allegations. Speaking to the Daily Mail from a rehabilitation centre in Florida, he said the computers had not been in his possession since he left Mexico with his son in January 2025 and moved to the Philippines.“I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of,” he told the newspaper, describing the claims as lies.The Metropolitan Police and Thomas Markle have been contacted for comment, according to the BBC.
Meghan’s strained relationship with her father
Meghan’s relationship with her father broke down in the run-up to her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. Thomas Markle, a former television lighting director, did not attend the wedding, citing health problems, after reports emerged that he had arranged staged photographs with paparazzi in exchange for payment.Meghan was instead walked down the aisle at Windsor Castle by King Charles III, who was then the Prince of Wales.Thomas Markle has never met Meghan and Harry’s children, Archie and Lilibet. Meghan’s latest statement has brought renewed attention to the reasons behind the estrangement, although it remains unclear when in 2018 she received the letter and whether it was before or after her wedding.Thomas Markle moved to the Philippines in 2025 after suffering a series of strokes. He later returned to the United States and is reportedly undergoing rehabilitation in Florida after his left leg was amputated following complications from a blood clot in December 2025.
