Meghan’s father investigated in the Philippines over suspected abuse images
Developed over time first seen 2 hours ago
Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, is being investigated in the Philippines after her half-brother said he found suspected child sexual abuse images at Markle’s home and gave them to police. Amanda Platell says the allegations may cast new light on Meghan’s estrangement from her father and her decision to keep him from her children, while stressing that the claims remain allegations.
Meghan said she had received a 2018 letter sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection containing “troubling and disturbing allegations” about her father, and that her decision was intended to protect Archie and Lilibet. Markle denies wrongdoing, and the article says the FBI is considering action. Platell reflects that she had criticised the Sussexes for abandoning him, but now feels sympathy for them amid the renewed family turmoil.
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In short
- Thomas Markle is under investigation over alleged abuse images.
- Meghan says earlier allegations informed her decision to protect her children.
- Markle denies wrongdoing; the FBI is considering action.
How this story developed
- 2 hours ago Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, is being investigated in the Philippines after her half-brother said he found suspected child sexual abuse images at Markle’s home and gave them to police.
- Daily Mail Meghan was first told of allegations against her father Thomas after she married Harry in 2018 – as he faces probe over child sex abuse images
- Daily Mail Meghan’s father investigated in the Philippines over suspected abuse images
- Daily Mail Meghan's eight-year rift with her estranged father: The duchess's troubled relationship with Thomas Markle as he faces child abuse images probe
Full account
Thomas Markle Sr is under investigation in the Philippines following allegations concerning child sexual abuse images. His son, Thomas Markle Jr, says he found images he believes belonged to his father at a former home in the country and handed them to police. The allegation has not been established. Markle Sr, 82, strongly denies possessing such images and has described his son’s claims as lies.
The Duchess of Sussex said she was deeply distressed by the news and expressed concern for any children who may have been harmed. She said a letter containing troubling allegations about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police and its royal protection team in 2018, then shared with her. According to Meghan, she was assured that the allegations were being investigated. She has not publicly described the contents of that letter in detail, so it is unclear how they relate to the claims now made by her half-brother.
Meghan said her decision to keep her father from meeting her children, Archie and Lilibet, was made to protect them. She and Markle Sr have been estranged since the period around her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. At the time, their relationship became a subject of intense public attention after it emerged that Markle Sr had helped stage photographs ahead of the ceremony. He did not attend the wedding, and the distance between father and daughter continued in the years that followed.
The present allegations have prompted renewed scrutiny of that estrangement, but the investigation’s findings remain unknown. Meghan has called for the safety of children to remain the priority and for justice to be served. Markle Sr continues to deny the accusation. The reports supplied do not establish what material investigators have examined, whether any offence has been committed, or whether the allegations shared with Meghan in 2018 concerned the same matter.
Where outlets differ
From the full account, which is AI-written from the sources:
The first report is an opinion column. It speculates about Meghan’s reasons for distancing herself from her father and says the FBI may consider action; it does not establish either point. The second concentrates on Meghan’s statement, the reported 2018 letter and Markle Sr’s denial. The third places the allegations within a timeline of the father-daughter relationship and says the precise date of the 2018 letter is unknown. All three supplied reports appear to come from the Daily Mail, so they do not provide independent accounts from different outlets.
Coverage · 3 sources
Bias meters
From 3 rated sources.
- Daily MailRightMeghan’s father investigated in the Philippines over suspected abuse images
- Daily MailRightMeghan was first told of allegations against her father Thomas after she married Harry in 2018 – as he faces probe over child sex abuse images
- Daily MailRightMeghan's eight-year rift with her estranged father: The duchess's troubled relationship with Thomas Markle as he faces child abuse images probe
Read the full article at the source →
Originally published by Daily Mail as “AMANDA PLATELL: Is this the moment we should all feel sorry for Meghan? I have been among her harshest critics… but she may have been harbouring a deeply disturbing secret all along”.