Meghan Markle has said she is “deeply upset“ by allegations against her father Thomas Markle Sr for allegedly possessing child sexual abuse images and videos. She said she had been aware of the disturbing allegations since 2018, when a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and the Royal and Specialist Guards.
“It contained disturbing and disturbing allegations against my father and I have been assured that they are being investigated,“ Meghan said. According to her, it was the desire to protect her children that caused her to not allow her father to see them.
“I hope it is now understood that my distance from my father and my decision not to allow him to have contact with our children was dictated by one reason: to protect them“, said Meghan Markle.
The allegations were made by Thomas Markle Jr., who is 60 years old. He claimed to The Sun that he found hundreds, and according to a later description, possibly thousands of images and videos in four large boxes of his father's belongings in Cebu, Philippines.
He said he initially was looking for a mobile phone when he came across a file with objectionable content. Then, with the help of a technical specialist, he checked computers and hard drives. Markle Jr. says he saw multiple thumbnails that he believes led to child sexual abuse material.
“When I found this material, I was horrified and had no choice but to report my father,” Thomas Markle Jr. said.
He says he has reported the matter to authorities and is willing to turn over the boxes and electronic devices for forensic examination.
Thomas Markle Sr., who is 82, denies the allegations. In an interview with the Daily Mail from a rehabilitation center in Florida, he said he never downloaded any such material.
“I am shocked, hurt and very upset that my son would make these allegations against me. I could never do what they are accusing me of. "That's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of," he said.
Markle Sr. claims that the computers were packed in Mexico and shipped to the Philippines, and then his son did not hand them over to him. He says he does not know who had access to the devices.
Thomas Markle Sr. and Meghan Markle have not been in a relationship since 2018, when she married Prince Harry. He did not attend their wedding and has not met their children.
Markle Sr. is currently recovering in the United States after having his left leg amputated below the knee in December 2025 due to a severe blood clot. There is no evidence that he has been charged or convicted. Authorities are yet to examine the items and devices his son has identified.