The controversy surrounding Thomas Markle Sr., the estranged father of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, continues to deepen following allegations that images and other material depicting child sexual abuse were found among his belongings at his former home in the Philippines. The allegations were made by his son, Thomas Markle Jr., who reportedly alerted police after discovering the material. Markle Sr. has vehemently denied the accusations.
Hours after the allegations became public, Meghan responded with a statement expressing profound distress. She said that in 2018, a letter had been sent to London's Metropolitan Police and its Royalty and Specialist Protection unit, containing disturbing allegations against her father. The letter was subsequently shared with her, she said, and she was assured that the allegations were being investigated.
The Metropolitan Police has since confirmed receiving a letter containing allegations against the duchess's estranged father. However, the force acknowledged that the details were never passed to other law enforcement agencies.
In a statement provided to People magazine on Saturday, police said the letter had actually been received in January 2019 and was subsequently forwarded to the office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. The force is now reviewing its handling of the matter and considering whether to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), Britain's independent police watchdog.
According to the Metropolitan Police, a review of its records confirmed that the letter contained several allegations concerning suspected offenses committed outside the United Kingdom. It had been sent to the force's Protection Command because of concerns relating to Meghan's security.
Police said officers reviewed the letter and decided to forward it to Prince Harry and Meghan's office to make them aware of its contents. However, the force acknowledged: "The details of the allegations in the letter were not shared with other law enforcement agencies."
The Metropolitan Police said it was examining how the matter was handled in 2019 and whether an independent review of its conduct was warranted.
The police statement also raised questions about the timeline Meghan provided. While the duchess recalled that the letter had been sent to police in 2018, official records show it was received in January 2019.
'I like Asian women but that is not a crime'
(Photo: Mega)
Responding to the discrepancy, a representative for the Duchess of Sussex told People that, when recalling events from more than seven years earlier without diary entries or contemporaneous records, it was understandable that she "may have been mistaken by a few months."
The representative added that if police possessed a time-stamped record establishing that the letter was reviewed in 2019, the official documentation should take precedence over Meghan's recollection. Given the passage of time and the absence of records made at the time, the representative said the discrepancy was understandable.
The allegations against Markle first emerged publicly late last week. One of the first family members to defend him was his eldest daughter, Samantha Markle, who told the Daily Mail that her brother Thomas Jr., 60, had fabricated the accusations to make money. She also suggested that their father may have been framed.
"There is no merit in these disgusting allegations whatsoever," Samantha said, accusing her brother of attempting to destroy their father's reputation.
She claimed Thomas Jr. began spreading the allegations after their father stopped giving him money. According to Samantha, her brother had relied on their father financially for years and, once that support ended, began making accusations in an attempt to profit from media coverage. Her claims about her brother's motives have not been independently established.
A day later, Thomas Markle Sr. responded publicly for the first time, telling the Daily Mail that he was shocked, hurt and deeply upset by his son's accusations.
"I could never do what I'm being accused of," he said, describing the allegations as among the worst that could be made against a person. He dismissed them as lies and questioned why his son would want to damage his reputation.
Hours after his initial response, Markle issued another statement, acknowledging that he had paid for sex in the Philippines while again denying allegations that he possessed a large collection of images depicting child sexual abuse.
"I have never had sex with anyone under the age of 18," he told the Mail on Sunday.
Markle said he had visited the Philippines at least twice while single and had paid sex workers during those trips. "I like Asian women but that is not a crime," he added.
He said his current health condition prevented him from traveling to the Philippines but that he was willing to speak with anyone seeking to investigate the allegations. He maintained that he had nothing to hide.
Markle is currently learning to walk again at a nursing facility in Florida after undergoing a life-saving leg amputation in 2025. He also said he would welcome a forensic examination of his computer, insisting that if investigators discovered anything illegal on it, someone else must have placed it there.