Meghan Markle said she is "deeply distressed" by accusations that her estranged father, Thomas Markle, had indecent images of children.
The Duchess of Sussex revealed a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police in 2018 regarding her father, now 82, which was subsequently shared with her.
The Sun reported on Thursday evening that Thomas Markle's son, Thomas Jr, alleged he had discovered boxes of child sex images at their home in the Philippines, and went to the police. However, Meghan's half-sister, Samantha Markle, accused him of fabricating the claims in a story in the Daily Mail.
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Meghan said on Friday: "I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed.
"In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. "That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.
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"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.
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."
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Thomas Snr denied possessing child sex images, calling the accusations "sick lies".
What do we know about the allegations against Thomas Markle?
According to The Sun, Thomas Jr submitted a sworn statement to authorities in Cebu after allegedly discovering child sexual abuse material among possessions he said belonged to his father.
The Daily Mail has since reported Samantha's denial of the allegations, including her assertion that Thomas Snr had not had access to the computers in question for approximately two years.
The court papers were filed in Cebu City on Thursday, and the Sun reports that investigators from the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking on Thursday appointed a task force run by the specialist Women and Children’s Protection Centre.
According to the Sun, the FBI have also confirmed receipt of the contents of Thomas Jnr’s affidavit.
Thomas Markle's relationship with his children
Thomas Jr. moved to Rosarito, Mexico, in 2022 to be near his father after he suffered a severe stroke that year. Since then, they have moved several times.
In early 2025, they relocated to the Philippines with the intention of starting over. However, Meghan's father returned to the United States earlier this year due to health issues and is currently residing in a nursing and rehabilitation facility in Florida.
Thomas Jr., like Samantha, is Thomas's child from his first marriage to Roslyn Loveless.
Meghan is Thomas's daughter with Doria Ragland.
However, she has not been in contact with him for the past eight years, though she reached out to him in December 2025 after he underwent leg amputation.