Thomas Markle Sr. has denied allegations that child sexual abuse material was found at his former home in Cebu, Philippines. The report was filed by his son Thomas Markle Jr., who claims he found images, videos and other media before handing them over to local authorities.
According to a report in the “Sun“, there are hundreds or thousands of files and physical media. The newspaper also reports a photo that, according to its description, appears to show Thomas Markle with a girl who appears to be underage. The claim has not been independently verified, and the identity and age of the person in the photo have not been publicly identified.
„Sky News“ reports that Philippine police are investigating allegations of possession of child sexual abuse material. However, ITV News notes that local police have not publicly confirmed all the details set out in the „Sun“ publication.
Thomas Markle Jr has filed an affidavit with Philippine authorities. According to „Sun“, he said he was shocked by the discovery and had handed over the material to specialist officers working on crimes against children.
Thomas Markle himself denies the allegations. He told the „Daily Mail“: „I am shocked, hurt and very upset that my son would make these allegations against me“. He calls the allegations lies and says he could never have done what he is accused of.
Meghan speaks about a letter from 2018.
Amid the new allegations, Meghan Markle said that she had received information about serious allegations against her father back in 2018. In a statement quoted by “Sky News“, she said: “I am deeply upset by the news that has come out in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been affected“.
Meghan points out that in 2018 a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police of London and the Royal Family Protection Unit with “alarming and disturbing“ allegations about her father. She said the letter was later shared with her and she was assured that its contents were being investigated.
She said the decision to distance herself from her father and not allow him to have contact with her children was dictated by a desire to protect them. Meghan and Thomas Markle have been estranged since 2018, when he did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry.
The Metropolitan Police said it was conducting an internal investigation to determine whether its officers had passed the letter to Meghan. According to the “Independent“ the police have not investigated Thomas Markle and are not currently investigating him. It is also unclear whether the 2018 letter is related to the allegations made by his son in 2026.
The next steps are in the hands of the Philippine authorities, who must establish the origin and authenticity of the materials found, as well as whether they constitute evidence of a crime. Thomas Markle has not been charged at this time, and the allegations against him remain unconfirmed.
Sources: news.sky.com, itv.com, the-independent.com