Meghan Markle has spoken out as her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., is facing an investigation over claims that he had access to “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse material in the Philippines.
According to The Sun, Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr. stated that he discovered a collection of photographs belonging to their father at his former residence in the Philippines.
Meghan learned about ‘disturbing allegations’ against her father eight years ago
“Deeply distressed”, Markle revealed in a statement that she was made aware of “disturbing allegations” against him back in 2018, when the Metropolitan Police brought them to her attention.
“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.”
“In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father, and I was given assurances that these were being investigated,” the Duchess of Sussex continued.
Meghan Markle says she kept her father away from her kids to protect them
She stressed that she believes justice will be served and safety of children remains a top priority.
“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.”
“I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families. Although the breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine, my sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.”
Markle Sr denies allegations
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, Markle Sr firmly rejected claims that he had child sexual abuse images, describing the allegations as “sick lies”.
Speaking to Daily Mail from his rehabilitation facility in Florida, where he’s currently working on walking again with a prosthetic limb following the amputation of his left leg due to a blood clot, he said, “I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”
According to reports, UK law enforcement officials had previously informed Meghan that they were looking into claims made about her father in a 2018 letter that was submitted to Scotland Yard and later shared with her by police.
Relationship between Markle Sr and Meghan Markle
Markle Sr has been disconnected from the Duchess ever since he couldn’t make it to her wedding with Prince Harry due to health issues, and he’s never had the chance to meet his grandchildren Prince Archie, who’s seven, and Princess Lilibet, who’s five.
According to The Sun, Thomas Markle Jr shared with detectives in the Philippines that he’d come across “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images stored on computers and mobile phones in four large boxes at the home in Cebu where Markle Sr was staying before he moved back to the US in May following a stroke.
Nicholas Ty, the undersecretary for the Philippine Department of Justice, confirmed to the BBC that the investigation is currently underway through a human-trafficking and child sexual exploitation taskforce operating in Cebu.