Meghan Markle 'deeply distressed' after father allegedly found with child sex abuse material in Philippines home

The estranged father of Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has been embroiled in child pornography allegations.

Meghan has said she is "deeply distressed" over the allegations surrounding her father, Thomas Markle, and that she was informed of separate allegations about him in 2018.

Thomas, 82, denies the allegations, according to the BBC, The Sun and People. Authorities in the Philippines and the U.S. are looking into the matter, the BBC reported.

Material found in his Philippines home

The allegations were first reported by The Sun on Oct. 22.

Thomas' son and Meghan's half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, 60, allegedly found material containing child sexual abuse at his father's former home in Cebu, the Philippines, and reported it to authorities there and in the U.S.

Thomas Jr. told The Sun that he had allegedly found four large boxes, which contained "hundreds, if not thousands" of child pornographic images.

He claimed to have found videos of girls no older than 10 or 11 years old engaged in sexual acts, as well as a 15-minute video of naked girls on his father's old phone.

The elder Markle told the Daily Mail on Oct. 23 that he could never do what he is being accused of.

He said he was shocked, hurt and very upset that his son was making these accusations.

Investigations underway by local police and FBI

A Philippine Department of Justice official told BBC that a task force on human trafficking and child sexual exploitation in Cebu is investigating the case.

The country's Interior Minister said police had secured Thomas' computer for forensic examination, with results expected in about a week.

The FBI said it is aware of the allegations and will support Philippine authorities. It added that it will also investigate any related allegations of federal violations of U.S. law.

London's Metropolitan Police Service is not investigating the elder Markle. The force is carrying out an internal inquiry into whether its royal protection unit passed the 2018 letter to Meghan, according to BBC.

Asked whether King Charles knew of the letter, Buckingham Palace declined to comment and said it was a matter for the Sussexes, People reported.

Kept her children away from father

In a statement shared with The Sun and People, Meghan said her thoughts were with any children who may have been harmed.

She said a letter containing "troubling and disturbing" allegations about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018.

It was later shared with her, and she was assured the allegations were being investigated.

She said the distance she kept from her father was to protect her children.

“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 added that she trusted the authorities were doing the same for other families.

"The breadth of what has now been uncovered is more sickening than one could ever imagine," Meghan said, and reiterated that her priority was the safety and protection of innocent children.

Estranged from father since 2018

Meghan and her father have been estranged since the run-up to her wedding to Prince Harry in May 2018.

BBC reported that he was found to have accepted payment from photographers to stage pictures of himself preparing for the wedding.

He later pulled out of the ceremony, citing health problems, and Meghan was walked down the aisle by then-Prince of Wales, now King Charles III.

The letter was shared with Meghan after the wedding, according to The Sun. Sources close to the Sussexes said she could not speak publicly at the time, to avoid jeopardising any future investigation.

Thomas moved to the Philippines in 2025 after a series of strokes, according to BBC.

However, he is reportedly now residing in a rehabilitation centre in Florida after having a leg amputated in December 2025.