LONDON — Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, said Friday she was “deeply distressed” by a report alleging that her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr., possessed images of child sexual abuse, adding that she was informed by police of “disturbing allegations” against him in 2018.
In a statement released Friday, Meghan addressed reports that her father was under investigation following allegations he kept videos and images of child sexual abuse at his home in the Philippines. “The scale of what has been uncovered is more sickening than anyone could ever imagine,” said Meghan, who in recent years has had a limited and strained relationship with her father. He did not attend her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018, which attracted media attention.
The allegations against Markle Sr. were first reported Thursday by The Sun newspaper, a British tabloid, which reported that his son informed police after he said he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images in boxes at his father’s home. The Sun published a photo showing his son, Thomas Markle Jr., signing an affidavit he allegedly submitted to police and quoting him as saying, “I will never speak to my father again unless I am called to testify against him.”
Markle Sr., 82, denied the reported allegations, calling them “sick lies” in a statement to British newspaper Daily Mail. He added that it was “the worst thing anyone could accuse me of”.
NBC News was not immediately able to identify a contact for Markle Sr., who the Daily Mail reported was now in a Florida rehabilitation center recovering from surgery.
Markle Jr. told The Sun that he reported his discovery to the FBI, as well as local Philippine authorities. NBC News reached out to the FBI for comment, which did not immediately respond.
The Philippines’ Department of Justice said Friday it is currently investigating reports implicating the elder Markle in connection with allegations involving videos and photos of child abuse, according to the country’s official news agency.
Police in Cebu City, where Markle Sr. is home in the Philippines, and the London Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NBC News.
In Friday’s rare statement, Meghan said she chose to keep her children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, away from their father “for one reason only: to protect them.”
“I am deeply distressed by the news that has come to light over the past 24 hours and my thoughts are with all the children who may have been harmed,” she said in the statement.
Meghan said she was made aware of a letter sent to British police and other authorities in 2018, which “contained disturbing and worrying allegations against my father and I was assured that they were being investigated.”
“I hope that we can now understand that, despite the distortion of certain media publications over the years, any distance from my father and my choice not to allow him to have contact with our children, was for one reason only: to protect them,” she added.
“While the scale of what has been uncovered is more sickening than anyone 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,” Meghan said.
Asked by NBC News when Meghan was informed of the letter to the Metropolitan Police, a spokesperson for the couple said it was in the summer of 2018, after her marriage to Harry.
Markle Sr. told the Daily Mail he hadn’t spoken to his son “in months” and said “these terrible lies are being made against me without any evidence.” He added that he would “welcome an investigation” into the matter and called the accusations “a pile of lies”.
His daughter, Samantha Markle, also told the Daily Mail about her brother’s allegations: “These disgusting allegations have no basis… He wants to destroy our father. Shame on him.”
NBC News did not immediately receive responses to requests for comment from Markle Jr. or Samantha Markle — Meghan’s half-siblings.
Markle Sr. married Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in 1979 and they later divorced in 1987.
Meghan, 45, and Harry, 42, returned to the UK earlier this summer after several years in the US.
The couple made their first joint public appearance last week while visiting charities in central England. King Charles III made it clear that their return did not mean a return to active royal life. Harry, however, said recently that he wanted his disagreements with his family to “be resolved.”
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