Philippine Police Investigate Child Abuse Images Allegedly Found at Thomas Markle's Home

Philippine police are investigating Thomas Markle, the father of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, after reports of child sexual abuse images linked to him. The Philippine National Police said early findings point to several such files on devices connected to him.

Markle's son, Thomas Markle Jr., said he found "hundreds, if not thousands" of images in boxes at his father's home in Cebu City, a city in the central Philippines. Town and Country reported his account on November 4, 2026.

The national police's acting director, Maj. Gen. Wilson C. Asueta, said initial work by the force's Anti-Cybercrime Group identified several files that police call Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Materials. Investigators have sent nine mobile phones, three SD cards (the small memory cards used in cameras), five hard drives, a camera, and one non-digital device for examination.

The case has been building for weeks. Reuters reported on October 23 that Philippine authorities were investigating after the claims surfaced. By October 29, police had a search warrant, a court order that lets officers search a specific property, according to the BBC, which also reported that the images were allegedly found in Markle's former home.

A task force now works the case. It includes officers from the police Women and Children Protection Center, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the Anti-Cybercrime Group, the Intelligence Group, and the regional police office for Central Visayas. Asueta said police will file a case if the evidence is sufficient. Police have not said a case has been filed.

The investigation also reaches the United States. Asueta said Philippine police are working with American law enforcement. He said only the FBI, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other U.S. authorities have contacted the women and children center.

Markle, 80s, is reportedly living in a memory care facility in Florida, a residential setting for people with memory loss. Meghan and Prince Harry have not been named as involved in the investigation.

The allegations remain under investigation. No court has ruled on them, and police have said only that they are examining the devices and records they collected. Anyone with information on child sexual abuse material can report it to local police or to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the United States.