Meghan Markle Says She Was Alerted to ‘Disturbing Allegations’ Against Her Father in 2018 After Royal Wedding

Latoya GayleFri, October 23, 2026 at 2:50 PM UTC

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Thomas Markle; Meghan MarkleCredit: LionsShareNews / BACKGRID; Astrida Valigorsky/Getty -

Meghan Markle shared a statement following reports that her father, Thomas Markle Sr., is being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography. Her father denies the allegations against him

In the statement, she revealed that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018 that “made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father”

At the time, the allegations had not been substantiated, and Meghan was advised that speaking publicly about them could jeopardize any potential investigation, a source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE

Meghan Markle said she was made aware of “troubling and disturbing allegations against my father” in 2018, in the wake of a new report that Thomas Markle Sr. is being investigated for alleged possession of child pornography.

In an article published by The Sun on Thursday, Oct. 22, it was reported that the Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, Thomas Jr., alerted the “cops” and FBI to his alleged discovery of “hundreds, if not thousands” of child pornographic images at Thomas Markle Sr.’s home in Cebu, Philippines.

Meghan, 45, reacted to the allegations in a statement shared with PEOPLE on Oct. 23, in which she said she was “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.”

Her statement also said that a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection in 2018. “That letter was subsequently shared with me,” she said. “It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father, and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”

At the time, the allegations had not been substantiated, and Meghan was advised that speaking publicly about them could jeopardize any potential investigation, a source familiar with the situation tells PEOPLE. She was also concerned about the legal implications of publicly repeating unproven claims, the source says.

PEOPLE has learned that Meghan was made aware of the letter after her May 2018 royal wedding to Prince Harry, with whom she now shares a 7-year-old son, Prince Archie, and a 5-year-old daughter, Princess Lilibet. Meghan’s father did not attend the nuptials, following a controversy involving staged paparazzi photos and reported health problems, and King Charles accompanied her partway down the aisle.

Meghan Markle in New York City on April 23, 2025Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty

Asked whether King Charles was aware of the 2018 letter referenced in Meghan’s statement, Buckingham Palace declined to comment, saying it was a matter for the Sussexes.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said, “We are aware of media reports that officers from the Met’s Royalty and Specialist Protection Command were involved in the passing on of a letter in 2018. We are undertaking enquiries internally in an effort to confirm this.” The Met Police have not and are not currently investigating a man in his 80s who resides outside the U.K.

Meghan added in her statement, “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,” she said in the statement. “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.”

Meghan has been estranged from her father since the lead-up to her wedding to Prince Harry. However, the Duchess of Sussex reached out to her father in writing last year following his leg amputation. However, the contents of that correspondence have not been made public, and the nature of her message remains unclear.

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Meghan is the only child of Thomas Sr. and Doria Ragland. Thomas Sr. had two other children with his first wife, Roslyn Loveless: Thomas Jr., 60, and daughter Samantha, 61.

Thomas Jr. has been caring for his father amid his ongoing health issues, including his 2022 stroke. He claims to have found four large boxes at his father’s house that contained child pornography, and he also alleges that he found videos of girls no older than 10 or 11 years old engaged in sexual acts, as well as a 15-minute video of naked girls on his father’s old cellphone, The Sun reported.

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He also claimed to the outlet that he found three photos of naked girls, including one image that appeared to have been taken at his father’s former home in Rosarito, Mexico.

“What I saw made me sick to the stomach — all this stuff was just dumped on me, and I didn’t know what to do,” Thomas Jr. told The Sun. “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 realized I had to report him.”

He “reported his discovery to the FBI Hotline, the US-based National Centre for Exploited and Missing Children and the state police in Pennsylvania where his father was living,” on July 10, per The Sun.

Thomas Markle in 2021Credit: ITV/Shutterstock

In an article published by The Daily Mail on Friday, Oct. 23, Thomas Sr. denied the child pornography allegations in a statement.

“I’m shocked, I’m hurt and I’m very upset that my son is making these accusations against me,” he said. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”

“This is bulls---,” he added, per the Mail. “It’s just a bunch of lies. It’s sick. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies.”

The Daily Mail reported that Thomas Sr. is currently at a rehab center in Florida.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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