India McTaggart
London: The Duchess of Sussex’s estranged father is being investigated after his son reported him to police for being in possession of child abuse images, it has been reported.
Thomas Markle snr, who lives in the Philippines, is alleged to have an extensive collection of illegal images that were discovered by Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle jnr.
According to The Sun, the 82-year-old had kept “hundreds, if not thousands” of underage sexual images in four large boxes that had been mixed up with innocent family mementos at his home in the city of Cebu.
Police in the Philippines are reportedly preparing to seize the evidence and the FBI is said to be looking into opening an investigation in the United States, where Markle snr resided after having a leg amputation last year.
Markle jnr, 60, has submitted a sworn statement to child abuse police in the Philippines, afterwards telling The Sun: “When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad.
“I have supported, cared for him and helped him for years – but that stops now.
“I won’t speak to my father ever again unless I’m called to give evidence against him.”
Meghan’s half-brother, who has been his father’s carer since he suffered a life-threatening stroke in 2022, told friends he had been left a “shaking wreck” by the discovery.
“I knew right away it was highly illegal and would land me in jail for a long time if I didn’t get rid of it. I felt betrayed, angry and disgusted – and realised I had to report him,” he told one.
He is said to have reported his discovery to the FBI Hotline, the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children, in July, as well as to the state police in Pennsylvania, where his father was living.
‘The most sickening abuse imaginable’
Markle jnr said that among innocent old family home movies, books and mobile phones, he found “old books that turned out to be full of naked little girls”.
After enlisting a local IT expert to access the computer hard drives he found, Markle jnr said: “His desktop was full of row upon row of thumbnail pictures linking to the most sickening child abuse imaginable. The worst of the worst.”
Details of the found documents allegedly include film negatives showing naked schoolgirls and “vile images” on the same hard drive as some of Markle’s work files and “core accomplishments”, including his professional CV and a download of the duchess addressing a women’s event at the United Nations.
It was reported last year that Meghan, 45, had no plans to see her estranged father again. Markle snr and the duchess’ mother, Doria Ragland, divorced when Meghan was six.
The pair have not spoken since 2018, when he worked with a paparazzi photographer near his home in Mexico to stage photographs of him being fitted for a suit before his daughter’s wedding to Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex.
He has never met Harry, Prince Archie or Princess Lilibet. Writing in his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry said his wife was “mourning” the loss of her father.
Markle snr has struggled with poor health, suffering two heart attacks on the eve of Meghan’s 2018 wedding, which prevented him from flying to the United Kingdom. In his absence, Charles, then Prince of Wales, gave Meghan away.
In December last year, his left leg was amputated below the knee during surgery to remove a blood clot, which left him “fighting for his life” at the time. In August 2018, Meghan wrote begging her father to stop talking to the media, with extracts later published in the Mail on Sunday.
The duchess remains close to her 70-year-old mother, who lives in California and would regularly visit the Sussexes’ home in Montecito before the couple relocated back to the UK with their two children.
The Telegraph, London
Support is available from the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) or the Men’s Referral Service on 1300 766 491.
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