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Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle, was on the record as dating his much-younger nurse earlier this year, prior to reportedly being investigated over child sex abuse images this week.
Thomas, 82, told the Daily Mail in a March interview that he was involved with Rio Canedo, who was 46 at the time and whom he met while recovering from leg amputation surgery in the Philippines. Canedo was working in the town of Cebu, which is where Thomas and his son, Tom Jr. moved to in January 2025.
“I never expected to find joy and happiness again at my age. I felt neglected and sad for so many years but now I am enjoying life again,” Thomas told the outlet.
“I know some people will say hurtful things but I don’t care,” he added, acknowledging his and Canedo’s drastic age difference.
“I want to talk about this because I never thought I would ever be happy again. I want people to know you’re never too old to find peace and love.”
“Haters will hate,” he concluded. “But, to be honest, I don’t give a damn. Life is for living.”
He also discussed how the medical care in the Philippines was “wonderful,” saying “There are young trainee nurses here who we call the ‘munchkins.'”
A report that Thomas is being investigated over child sex abuse images surfaced on Thursday.
According to the Sun, Tom Jr. reported his father to police after discovering “hundreds, if not thousands” of the alleged material inside several boxes in Thomas’ Cebu home.
He reportedly left the images in storage boxes buried among family “mementos,” which Tom Jr., 60, found while searching for a phone.
“When I found this material I was horrified and I had no option but to report my dad,” Tom Jr. said of the content, which allegedly included images of girls around 10-11 years old engaged in sex acts.
The outlet noted that authorities are prepping to seize the alleged evidence.
An insider close to the Duchess of Sussex told the outlet, “Now maybe people will finally understand why she has had nothing to do with her father since 2018.”
Thomas and Tom Jr. did not immediately return Page Six’s requests for comment. Reps for Meghan and Harry did not get back to us.