A daughter who has long kept her distance from her father now finds that distance measured against the gravest accusation a parent can face. Thomas Markle, living in the Philippines, is the subject of a Department of Justice inquiry in Cebu province into alleged child abuse material, a matter that surfaced through his son's reported discovery and reached the public first through tabloid reporting rather than charging papers. He denies the allegations, and the story now sits in an uncomfortable space where a family's old wound, a police force's unresolved 2018 handling of a letter, and the unse
Meghan 'Deeply Distressed' as Father Thomas Markle Faces Philippine Probe Over Child Abuse Material
The alleged material depicts children, who are the victims of the alleged abuse; no specific child victims or charges have been publicly identified in the reporting.
Any distance from my father was for one reason: to protect them.
Mark
Why is this story drawing attention beyond the family?
Mimi
Because a government has confirmed an investigation. The Philippine News Agency said the Justice Department is looking into an elderly American in Cebu province, and an official named Thomas Markle Sr. as the subject.
Mark
And Meghan's role in it?
Mimi
She says she learned of allegations in 2018 through a letter sent to the Metropolitan Police and its royal protection command, and was told they were being investigated.
Luke
Worth separating what's confirmed from what isn't. The Philippine probe is confirmed by state media. Her account of the letter is her own statement, and the Met says it's still checking internally.
Mark
What do we know about how this started?
Mimi
The Mail says his son found material on an old phone and in storage boxes, and reported it in July to the FBI hotline, a child exploitation center, and Pennsylvania state police.
Luke
Note the phrasing: that's the Mail's report of what the son did, and The Sun's before it. Neither is a charging document.
Mark
Does Markle respond?
Mimi
He denies it, telling the Mail he never downloaded anything like that and calling the claims sick lies.
Luke
And that denial is also relayed through the same paper. We don't have charges, a court filing, or details of what investigators have found.
Mark
So what's the thing to watch?
Mimi
Whether formal charges follow, and what the Met's review concludes about 2018.
Il Polso
- A state investigation in Cebu province has been confirmed, yet no charges have been filed and no specific victims have been named.
- The allegations surfaced from a son's reported discovery in storage boxes, carried first by The Sun and the Daily Mail rather than official documents.
- Thomas Markle calls the claims 'sick lies,' while his daughter Meghan says she is deeply distressed and insists child safety is the priority.
- London's Metropolitan Police is conducting an internal review of whether a 2018 letter about her father was properly passed on, and it has not confirmed her account.
- The story is still landing in uncertainty: formal charges from Philippine or US authorities and the findings of that internal review will decide what it becomes.
A daughter who has long kept her distance from her father now finds that distance measured against the gravest accusation a parent can face. Thomas Markle, living in the Philippines, is the subject of a Department of Justice inquiry in Cebu province into alleged child abuse material, a matter that surfaced through his son's reported discovery and reached the public first through tabloid reporting rather than charging papers. He denies the allegations, and the story now sits in an uncomfortable space where a family's old wound, a police force's unresolved 2018 handling of a letter, and the unseen children at the center of any such material all press on one another while the facts are still being gathered.
On Friday, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, told CBS News she was "deeply distressed" by reports that her estranged father, Thomas Markle, is under investigation in the Philippines over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. Markle denies the allegations outright, calling them "sick lies" and saying he has never downloaded anything of the kind.
The story began on Thursday, when The Sun reported that Markle's son had found the material in storage boxes at his father's home and reported it to authorities. The Daily Mail added that the discovery happened while Markle was in the United States recovering from a stroke and a blood clot, and that the son had first contacted an FBI hotline, a national missing and exploited children center, and Pennsylvania state police in July.
Philippine authorities have confirmed an investigation. The state news agency said the Department of Justice's anti-trafficking task force is handling a case involving an elderly American in Cebu province, and an official identified Markle as its subject.
Meghan's statement also reached back to 2018, when she says a letter with troubling allegations about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and later shared with her, and that she was told it was being investigated. The force has not confirmed that account. It says it is making internal enquiries into whether officers helped pass the letter on, and it is not understood to be investigating Markle himself.
Meghan explained that she has kept her father at a distance and barred him from contact with her children to protect them. She hopes that will now be understood. Much remains unproven, with no charges announced and no child victims identified, so the next answers will come from prosecutors and from the police review.
On Friday, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, sent CBS News a statement saying she was "deeply distressed" by reports that her father, Thomas Markle, is under investigation in the Philippines over alleged possession of child sexual abuse material. Markle is her estranged father, and he denies the allegations.
The account began to surface on Thursday, when the British tabloid The Sun reported that Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., had reported his father to Philippine authorities. According to that report, the younger Markle allegedly found child abuse material in storage boxes at his father's home in the Philippines. The Daily Mail added detail on Friday. It said the discovery came while the elder Markle was in the United States being treated for a stroke and a blood clot. Thomas Jr. reportedly first saw some of the material after switching on an old cell phone at the house. In July, the paper said, he reported it to an FBI hotline, to the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, and to state police in Pennsylvania.
The Philippine government has confirmed that an investigation exists. In a Facebook post on Friday, the state-run Philippine News Agency said the Department of Justice was looking into reports involving an elderly American national who left child abuse videos and photos at his home in Cebu province. A Filipino justice official told the agency that the department's anti-trafficking task force was handling the matter and that Thomas Markle Sr. was the subject of the investigation.
Markle has rejected the claims. The Daily Mail quoted him as saying he had never downloaded anything like that in his life, and calling the allegations "sick lies."
Meghan's statement went beyond her reaction to the news. She said she had known of allegations against her father since 2018, when a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection command. That letter was later shared with her. In her words, it made troubling and disturbing allegations about her father, and she was assured they were being investigated.
The Metropolitan Police has not confirmed that account. It is understood that the force has not investigated Thomas Markle and is not doing so now. A spokesperson said the force was aware of media reports that officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection Command helped pass on a letter in 2018, and that it was making internal enquiries to try to confirm this.
Meghan also used the statement to explain her estrangement from her father. She said she had distanced herself from him, and chosen not to let him have contact with her children, for one reason: to protect them. She said she hoped this could now be understood despite what she called certain media publications' distortion over the years. Her stated hope is that justice will be fully served and that the safety and protection of innocent children remains the priority.
Much here remains unestablished. The allegations come through the Sun and the Mail, not through charging documents, and no charges have been publicly announced. No child victims have been identified in the reporting. What to watch next: whether Philippine or US authorities bring formal charges, and what the Metropolitan Police's internal review finds about the 2018 letter.
Citazioni salienti
I have never downloaded anything like that in my life.— Thomas Markle, as quoted by the Daily Mail
My sincerest hope is that justice will be fully served and that the priority remains the safety and protection of innocent children.— Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
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Crime & Justice