Meghan Markle has responded to the allegations that her estranged father was in possession of child pornography, after her half-brother revealed this week that he found “hundreds, if not thousands” of child sexual abuse images in their father’s home.
Markle said she is “deeply distressed” over the matter, but hopes people now understand why she cut ties with him years ago.
“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,” she said in a statement on Friday.
Markle, 45, added that the “disturbing allegations” were the reason she cut off her 82-year-old father, Thomas Markle, before her marriage to Prince Harry. “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,” she wrote.
Markle said she hopes that “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.”
“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,” she added.
Thomas Markle Jr., the Duchess of Sussex’s half-brother, told The Sun on Thursday that he found four boxes with “hundreds, if not thousands” of child pornographic images in his father’s home in the Philippines.
“His desktop was full of row-upon-row of thumbnail pictures linking to the most sickening child abuse imaginable,” Thomas Jr. said. “The worst of the worst.”
Thomas Jr. also claimed he found videos of girls younger than 11 years old engaged in sexual acts, including a 15-minute video on his father’s phone. He said he had no choice but to report his father to the FBI, which confirmed it had received Thomas Jr.’s affidavit and is “set to launch their own probe,” according to The Sun.
His father told the Daily Mail on Friday that he was “shocked” and “hurt” over the accusations. “I could never do what I’m being accused of. It’s the worst thing anyone could accuse me of.”
Samantha Markle, Thomas Jr.’s sister, has continued to defend their father, and told the Daily Mail that her brother’s allegations have “no merit.”
“He wants to destroy our dad. Shame on him,” she added.
Thomas Jr. had been caring for his father in recent years after a series of health issues, including a stroke and blood clots, which led to a leg amputation in 2025. He told the Sun that he would never speak to his father again unless he is called to give evidence.
