Meghan Says She Kept Children Away From Father to Protect Them

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, has said she was deeply distressed by allegations involving her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, and that her decision to prevent him from having contact with her children was intended to protect them.

The statement followed reports by British newspapers that Meghan’s half-brother, Thomas Markle Jr, alleged he discovered hundreds or potentially thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse among belongings at their father’s former home in Cebu, the Philippines. Markle Sr has denied possessing such material, describing the allegations as lies, according to media reports. The claims have not been established in court.

Meghan said she had previously been made aware of troubling allegations about her father through a letter sent to London’s Metropolitan Police. In a statement issued on Friday, October 23, she said she had been assured the allegations were being investigated and expressed concern for any children who might have been harmed.

She also said the decision to maintain distance from her father and not allow him to contact her children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, had been made to protect them. The couple’s children have never met their maternal grandfather, according to published reports.

A subsequent clarification from the Metropolitan Police has raised questions about how the earlier allegations were handled. On Saturday, the force said it received a letter in January 2019 containing claims of alleged offending outside the United Kingdom. The letter was referred to its Protection Command because of concerns relating to the Duchess’s security, reviewed and passed to the office of Prince Harry and Meghan for their awareness. The allegations were not shared with other law enforcement agencies, the force said.

Meghan had initially recalled that the letter was sent in 2018. A spokesperson for the couple subsequently acknowledged that she might have been mistaken by several months, saying the police’s time-stamped records should be treated as the accurate reference point. The Metropolitan Police said it was reviewing how the letter was handled and considering whether to refer the matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the police watchdog.

The British force has said it is not investigating Markle Sr over the current allegations. The inquiry into the alleged images is being handled by authorities in the Philippines, where the material was reportedly discovered. The distinction is significant: the letter received by the Met concerned alleged offending outside Britain, but the force has not confirmed that the allegations in that letter were the same as those now being reported.

Philippine authorities have since confirmed that the matter is under investigation. On Sunday, October 25, Philippine National Police chief General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr said investigators were coordinating with law enforcement counterparts overseas. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla had earlier said that digital material linked to the allegations was undergoing forensic examination. Police have stressed that any charges would depend on the findings of the investigation.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has also said it is aware of the allegations and would provide support to Philippine authorities where appropriate. The agency said it would examine any related allegations that might involve violations of US federal law.

Markle Sr, a retired television lighting and photography director, became estranged from Meghan in the period leading up to her May 2018 wedding to Prince Harry. He did not attend the ceremony after a public dispute over staged paparazzi photographs and his health. Their strained relationship has remained a subject of media attention, but the current allegations are separate from the earlier family rift and require independent investigation.

The case now involves questions of child protection, digital evidence and cooperation between law enforcement agencies in several countries. While the allegations against Markle Sr remain unproven and he has denied them, the Philippine investigation and the British police review are likely to determine what evidence exists, whether any criminal offences can be established and whether the earlier handling of the letter requires further scrutiny.