Meghan Markle 'deeply distressed' by accusations against estranged father

Meghan Markle has said she is "deeply distressed" by accusations that her estranged father, Thomas Markle, had indecent images of children. The Duchess of Sussex made the comments in a statement published by Hello magazine on 23 October 2026.

In the statement, Meghan said a letter about her father was sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018. It went to Royalty and Specialist Protection too, the police unit that guards members of the royal family. She said the letter contained "troubling and disturbing allegations" against Thomas Markle, who is 82. The letter was later shared with her, and she said she was given assurances that the claims were being investigated.

She also said she has kept her distance from her father and does not allow him contact with her children, because she wants to protect them. She has not spoken to him since before her wedding to Prince Harry eight years ago.

The latest accusations come from his son. Thomas Markle Jr, who is one of Thomas Markle's children from his first marriage to Roslyn Loveless, says he found boxes of child sex images at their home in the Philippines and went to the police. The Sun reported this on Thursday evening, 22 October. Thomas Jr has also submitted a sworn statement, known as an affidavit, to authorities in Cebu. Court papers linked to the allegations were filed in Cebu City on Thursday.

The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking, a Philippine government body, has appointed a task force to investigate. The task force is run by the Women and Children's Protection Centre. The Sun also reported that the FBI confirmed it had received the contents of Thomas Jr's affidavit.

Thomas Markle has denied the claims. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he called the accusations "sick lies" and said he did not possess child sex images. His daughter Samantha Markle, another of his children from the first marriage, has accused Thomas Jr of fabricating the claims. She told the Daily Mail that her father had not had access to the computers in question for about two years.

The allegations have not been tested in court. Thomas Markle is now in a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Florida. He returned to the United States earlier this year because of health problems. Thomas Jr moved to Rosarito, Mexico, in 2022 to be near his father after a severe stroke that year. The two men moved to the Philippines in early 2025.

The family's health and contact have been in the news before. In December 2025, Thomas Markle was in hospital after a leg amputation. Meghan sought to contact him then, and a spokesperson said her letter had reached him. She also criticised the Daily Mail's presence at his bedside.