The Duchess of Sussex has said she is “deeply distressed” following allegations involving child sexual abuse images against her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, revealing that she was informed of disturbing claims against him by British police in 2018.

Meghan issued a statement after The Sun published claims that her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, had allegedly discovered a large collection of images on computers and mobile phones at their father’s former home in the Philippines. Markle Sr has strongly denied possessing child sexual abuse images, describing the accusations as “sick lies” in an interview with the Daily Mail.

Meghan appears to have seized the opportunity to justify her distance from her father  during the early years of her marriage, when their strained relationship wa spublicly made known. The shocking news has cast a dark shadow of mr. Markle, but he remains innocent where there is no evidence of guilt. It is still not the kind of publicity anybody  would want.

Authorities in the Philippines are reportedly investigating the allegations, with police securing a computer for digital forensic examination. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that it is making internal inquiries into reports that officers were involved in passing a letter containing allegations about Markle Sr to Meghan in 2018.

In a statement released through her spokesperson, Meghan said she was deeply troubled by the developments and expressed concern for any children who may have been harmed.

“My thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” she said.

Meghan explained that a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit in 2018 had subsequently been shared with her. According to the duchess, the letter contained “troubling and disturbing allegations” against her father, and she was assured that the claims were being investigated.

She added that she hoped the latest developments would provide greater understanding of her decision to remain estranged from Markle Sr and prevent him from having contact with her children.

“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families,” she said, referring to her expectation that the allegations would be appropriately investigated.

The duchess concluded her statement by expressing hope that justice would be served and that the protection of innocent children would remain the priority. It is not clear why Meghan has publicly highlighted the news. The allegations have renewed questions about what British authorities knew in 2018 and how the information was communicated to Meghan.

It is understood that the duchess was informed of the allegations by the Metropolitan Police during the summer of that year, shortly after her wedding to Prince Harry. The letter was reportedly shared with her by officers from the force’s Royalty and Specialist Protection unit.

However, the Metropolitan Police is understood not to have previously investigated Markle Sr and is not currently conducting an investigation into him. Instead, the force has said it is making internal inquiries to establish whether officers from the specialist unit were involved in passing the letter to Meghan.

Thomas Markle

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s royalty and specialist protection command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018. We are undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this.”

The force’s response indicates that its current inquiries concern the handling of the letter rather than an active criminal investigation into Markle Sr. The reported existence of a letter containing allegations does not establish that the claims were proven, and Markle has denied it.

Meghan’s statement suggests that the information she received in 2018 influenced her decision to maintain distance from her father. She has said that her decision not to allow him contact with her children was motivated by their protection.

Phillipine Authourities examining allegations

The allegations reported by The Sun have also prompted attention from authorities in the Philippines, where Markle Sr had been living before returning to the United States.

According to the newspaper, Markle Jr told detectives in the Philippines that he had discovered what he described as “hundreds, if not thousands” of images on computers and mobile phones stored in four large boxes at the property in Cebu where their father had been living.

The report also said Markle Jr had contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the United States.The allegations have not been independently established, and the reported number and nature of the images have yet to be confirmed publicly by investigators.

Nicholas Ty, an undersecretary at the Philippines’ Department of Justice, told the BBC that the matter was being investigated by a taskforce specialising in human trafficking and child sexual exploitation in Cebu.

The Philippines’ interior secretary, Jonvic Remulla, separately told the BBC that national police had secured Markle Sr’s computer for a comprehensive digital forensic examination. Remulla said it would take approximately one week to obtain the forensic results. Such an examination could help investigators establish what material, if any, is present on the device and assess its relevance to the allegations.

However, the outcome has not been publicly confirmed in the information currently available. The investigation is particularly significant because digital evidence can require careful examination to establish its origin, authenticity and relevance. The reported presence of material on a device would not, by itself, establish who placed it there, who accessed it or whether a particular individual committed an offence.

 No conclusion about criminal responsibility should therefore be drawn before investigators establish the relevant facts. Markle Sr has rejected the accusations, describing them as false and deeply upsetting.Speaking to the Daily Mail from a rehabilitation centre in Florida, he said he was shocked by the claims and hurt that his son had made allegations against him.

“I could never do what I’m being accused of,” he told the newspaper, describing the accusations as “sick lies”.

He also questioned why his son would seek to make the allegations, insisting that he had no knowledge of the conduct being alleged.

Markle Sr said the computers had not been in his possession since he left Rosarito, Mexico, with his son in January 2025 and subsequently moved to the Philippines in search of a fresh start.

His account raises questions about who had access to the devices and when they were last under his control. Those questions may be relevant to investigators as they seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the reported discovery. However, his denial and account of the computers’ whereabouts have not been independently verified. The allegations against him likewise remain unproven.

Markle Sr is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Florida after the amputation of his left leg because of a blood clot. He told the Daily Mail that he was learning to walk with a prosthetic limb.

His health circumstances have added another dimension to the public attention surrounding the allegations, although they do not establish whether the claims are true or false.

Family members offer conflicting accounts

The dispute has also prompted a response from Meghan’s half-sister, Samantha Markle, who has defended their father and accused Markle Jr of making the allegations for financial gain.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Samantha claimed there was no merit to the accusations and alleged that her brother wanted to damage their father’s reputation. She further claimed that the allegations emerged days after their father stopped providing financial support to Markle Jr.

According to Samantha, the computers had been outside their father’s possession for two years, leaving open the possibility that the devices could have been tampered with. These assertions have not been independently established, and they represent Samantha’s account of the family dispute rather than verified findings by investigators.

The conflicting statements from family members underline the need for authorities to establish the facts through evidence rather than relying on competing allegations. The reported forensic examination of the computer may form part of that process, although investigators have not publicly disclosed a final conclusion in the information available.

Meghan and her father have been  estranged since 2018

Meghan’s relationship with Markle Sr has been strained for several years. Their estrangement became particularly prominent in 2018, when Markle Sr did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry, citing health reasons.

He has never met the couple’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.The duchess has now said that her decision to maintain distance from her father, including preventing him from having contact with her children, was motivated by concerns about their protection.

Her statement also addressed what she described as distorted media coverage of the family relationship over the years. The latest allegations have therefore brought renewed attention to a deeply personal family dispute, while raising separate questions about the handling of information supplied to police and the investigation now reportedly taking place in the Philippines.

Meghan has not publicly claimed that the allegations have been proven. Instead, she has expressed distress over the reports and called for justice and the protection of children.

Investigation remains ongoing

The case now involves several unresolved questions, including the circumstances surrounding the reported discovery of the images, who had access to the devices, and what conclusions can be drawn from the digital forensic examination. There are also questions about the 2018 letter and the actions taken by British police after it was received and shared with Meghan.

The Metropolitan Police’s internal inquiries may help clarify how the letter was handled, while Philippine investigators are expected to examine the digital evidence and determine whether further action is warranted. Markle Sr continues to deny the allegations, and members of his family have offered sharply conflicting explanations. No definitive conclusion about criminal responsibility can be drawn from the claims reported so far.

Meghan has said her hope is that justice will be served and that the safety of innocent children remains the overriding priority. The outcome of the reported investigation will be crucial in determining what the evidence establishes, and whether any further action is taken by the relevant authorities.