Meghan Markle Responds to Disturbing New Allegations Against Her Father
Meghan Markle is speaking out following the bombshell allegations about her estranged father, his alleged possession of child pornographic images, and his subsequent investigation. Sadly, this news adds another layer of horrific context as to why the two have such a fractured relationship.
The Duchess of Sussex’s statement came following a shocking report from The Sun in which they alleged that her father, Thomas Markle Sr., possessed a large collection of child sexual abuse material. The allegations reportedly came from her half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr., who claimed he discovered the material and reported it to U.S. authorities. The FBI later confirmed receipt of his affidavit and is “set to launch its own probe,” with an agent already contacting officials in the Philippines, where Thomas Sr. previously lived.
According to Variety, the undersecretary for the Philippines Department of Justice, Nicholas Ty, said that “the matter is currently being investigated” by an anti-human trafficking and child sexual exploitation task force. The Philippines’ national police are also set to conduct “a digital forensic examination” on Markle Sr.’s computer.
In her statement, the Duchess said she was “deeply distressed” at the news about her father and that her thoughts were with “any children who may have been harmed.” She also claimed that she received a letter in 2018 that detailed some disturbing allegations about her father that are seemingly related to his new investigation and that it will hopefully contextualize why she’s chosen to distance herself—and her children—from him.
“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,” Markle said in the statement obtained by Entertainment Weekly.
She added: “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.”
This is yet another sad reminder of the torn relationship that Meghan and her father share. Things haven’t been good since 2018, when he was not present at her wedding to Prince Harry. At the time, he reportedly suffered a health crisis and staged paparazzi pictures to drum up headlines. Since then, Markle Sr. has appeared in numerous interviews talking about her and her family, even speaking negatively about her. He has “vehemently denied” the allegations, per a statement given to The Daily Mail, and has described the heinous claims as “bullsh*t” and a “bunch of lies.”
“‘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. This is bullsh*t. It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies,” he said.
